Remote Versus In-person Outpatient Clinic Visits and Antibiotic Use Among Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dana Danino, Shalom Ben-Shimol, Amir Sharf, David Greenberg, Noga Givon-Lavi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: The proportion of remote clinic visits was expected to increase among children during the COVID-19 pandemic which might result in antibiotic overuse. Methods: In southern Israel, 2 ethnic groups, Jewish and Bedouin, live side-by-side. Computerized data on visits for children <18 years were examined from clinics with ≥50 insured children, active both pre-COVID-19 and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Visits were divided into in-person and remote. Monthly infectious diagnoses and dispensed antibiotic prescription rates were calculated by age (<5, 5-17 years) and ethnic groups. Mean monthly rates of 2 parallel seasons (pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods) were compared. Results: Overall 2,120,253 outpatient clinic visits were recorded. Remote clinic visit rates (per 1000 children) increased from 97.04 and 33.86 in the pre-COVID-19 to 179.75 and 50.05 in the COVID-19 period in Jewish and Bedouin children, respectively (P < 0.01) along with a reduction of in-person visit rates in both populations. Comparing pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods, the rates of overall infectious diagnoses in remote visits increased. Nevertheless, dispensed antibiotic prescription rates in remote visits (per 1000 visits) remained unchanged (9.84 vs. 8.67, P = 0.70, in the Jewish population and 14.32 vs. 14.17, P = 1.00, in the Bedouin population in the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods, respectively) with a similar distribution of antibiotic categories. Conclusions: COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an expansion of remote visits of children <18 years with an increase in infectious diagnoses. However, remote dispensed antibiotic prescription rates remained unchanged. These dynamics were more accentuated in Jewish children, characterized by higher socio-economic conditions, compared to Bedouin children.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)636-641
Number of pages6
JournalPediatric Infectious Disease Journal
Volume41
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Aug 2022

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • antibiotic use
  • pediatric remote medicine

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Microbiology (medical)
  • Infectious Diseases

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