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Change in Pediatric Health Care Spending and Drug Utilization during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Riccardo Lubrano1, Emanuela Del Giudice1, Alessia Marcellino1

  • 1Dipartimento Materno Infantile e di Scienze Urologiche, Sapienza Università di Roma, UOC di Pediatria e Neonatologia-Polo Pontino, 04100 Latina, Italy.

Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 24, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Restrictive measures during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic significantly reduced common childhood illnesses and medication use in 2020 compared to 2019. This highlights the potential of containment strategies for pediatric infectious and allergic diseases.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic led to widespread implementation of nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs).
  • Understanding the impact of these NPIs on common pediatric diseases and medication consumption is crucial for public health planning.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the influence of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic-related restrictive measures on the incidence of common childhood diseases.
  • To evaluate changes in pediatric medication consumption during the pandemic.

Main Methods:

  • Data on monthly visits for six common pediatric diseases were collected from family pediatricians in Latina.
  • Pharmaceutical expenditure data for commonly used pediatric drugs were obtained from the local health authority.
  • Comparisons were made between 2020 (pandemic year) and 2019 (pre-pandemic year).

Main Results:

  • A significant reduction in the incidence of common pediatric diseases was observed during months with restrictive measures in 2020 compared to 2019.
  • Pediatric medication consumption also showed a significant decrease during the same periods.
  • The impact of NPIs on disease incidence and drug use diminished as restrictions were gradually eased.

Conclusions:

  • Nonpharmaceutical interventions demonstrably altered the epidemiology of common pediatric infectious and allergic diseases.
  • Implementing targeted containment strategies, even outside of pandemics, could benefit children's health and reduce healthcare costs.
  • Further research into the long-term effects and optimal application of NPIs in pediatric populations is warranted.
Abstract

Keywords:
childrendrugsexpenditureinfectious diseasespediatric and healthcarepreventive measures

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