ABSTRACT
Objective
Analyzing the epidemiological clinical profile of children and adolescents hospitalized in the medical clinic of a pediatric hospital in a non-pandemic and pandemic period by COVID-19.
Method
This is a comparative study of quantitative nature with cross-sectional design. Data collection was performed in 219 medical records of the Medical Archives and Statistics Service of a pediatric complex in the municipality of João Pessoa-PB. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and statistical tests were used to compare the groups.
Results
The profile of hospitalized children and adolescents was predominantly male and infant for the non-pandemic and pandemic period, equally. The mother was the main caregiver and companion of the child. The variables, nature of the social benefit, diagnosis according to medical specialty and length of stay showed a statistically significant difference between the non-pandemic and pandemic periods by COVID-19.
Conclusion
The data found indicate that there were no significant changes in the sociodemographic profile of hospitalized children. The pandemic due to COVID-19 resulted in greater change in the clinical profile of hospitalizations. Implications for the practice: Knowing the profile of children and adolescents in the hospitalization process in a pandemic period for COVID-19 can help in the development of care flows and strategies that can meet the real demands properly.
Keywords:
Hospitalization; Coronavirus Infections; Pandemics; Pediatrics; Health Profile