Review article
https://doi.org/10.26800/LV-145-supl5-26
New challenges in primary pediatrics in 2020 – 2022
Đurđa Španović
; Specijalistička pedijatrijska ordinacija, Zagreb
Željka Draušnik
Andrea Kostinčer-Pojić
Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the healthcare of preschool children. Waves of increase in patients with COVID-19, isolation of patients, and restriction of movement disrupted the usual work in pediatric practices and required rapid adaptation. In this paper, we analyze data related to work processes, procedures, methods of communication, consumption of antibiotics, the number of referrals to other health services, and the implementation of systematic examinations of healthy children and vaccinations during 2020-
2022. We compare the same data with the pre-pandemic year of 2019. We presented the observed peculiarities in children’s morbidity by analyzing the incidence of the five most common diagnoses. The data of the Croatian Institute of Public Health obtained through CEZIH from the reports of all pediatric practices in the Republic of Croatia were used. The results of the analysis show that an appropriately high level of preventive work and vaccination of children was maintained during the pandemic. Analysis of the morbidity shows the absence of cyclic occurrence of some viral infections, while some bacterial infections almost did not occur. Changes in work processes were observed as a result of the rapid adaptation of the profession to new circumstances in order to maintain the quality and availability of health care at the primary level. The changes relate primarily to the opening of new communication channels, the use of new technologies, and the improvement of the information system.
Keywords
CHILDREN, PRIMARY PEDIATRICS, COVID-19 PANDEMIC, SPECIFIC MORBIDITY, COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
Hrčak ID:
309091
URI
Publication date:
10.10.2023.
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