Healthcare Utilization Among Children and Adolescents with Sickle Cell Disease during the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Andrea Nowlin, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; Kristina Lai, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; Alexander Maillis, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; Patricia Waters, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; Beatrice Gee, Emory University; Peter A Lane, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-11-05
• Publisher: American Society of Hematology
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2020 American Society of Hematology.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood-2020-136151
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: BLOOD
• Volume: 136
• Start Page: 30
• End Page: 31
• Keywords: COVID-19
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Oncology

Abstract

Early experience with the COVID-19 pandemic showed disproportionately high morbidity and mortality among individuals with certain chronic medical conditions. Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at high risk for pulmonary and other complications including acute chest syndrome (ACS) and have high rates of hospitalization from other viral respiratory infections, raising concern that COVID-19 would be associated with higher morbidity, mortality and health care utilization among those with SCD. Public health interventions such as social distancing, avoidance of large group activities, and widespread use of masks have been shown to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 in the general population but have been inconsistently implemented. In Georgia, COVID-19 restrictions, including school closures, were implemented in mid-March, and on-site school instruction was replaced by virtual instruction for the remainder of the school year. At our institution, most routine, non-urgent outpatient clinic visits were cancelled or postponed from mid-March through May in order to minimize COVID-19 exposure risk. Efforts to initiate the use of telemedicine as an alternative to in-person office visits were rapidly instituted. We hypothesized that adherence to public health restrictions, especially sheltering in place, would be high among patients and families with SCD, and sought to measure the impact of COVID pandemic on healthcare utilization in children and adolescents with SCD in the Atlanta area.