Impact of COVID-19 on the Pediatric Primary Care Model in Catalonia: Analysis of Changes in the Number and Type of Face-to-Face and Remote Visits

Overview

Journal JMIR Pediatr Parent

Date 2024 Mar 27

PMID 38532544

Authors

Marta Castillo-Rodenas

Jose Angel Vicente Gomez

Aina Fuster-Casanovas

Queralt Miro Catalina

Josep Vidal-Alaball

Francesc Lopez Segui

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 has turned the care model of health systems around the world upside down. The health care crisis has led to opportunities for digital health to deliver quality care, and the system has been redirected toward telemedicine. In Catalonia, Spain, as of March 2020, the pattern of visits in primary care pediatric consultations changed, such that face-to-face visits decreased in favor of non-face-to-face visits.

Objective: This study aimed to analyze variations in the types of pediatric visits in primary care centers in Catalonia before and after the onset of COVID-19.

Methods: This was a descriptive observational study based on administrative data. The number and type of visits to primary care pediatric services in Catalonia between January 2019 and December 2022 were studied.

Results: A drop of more than 80% in face-to-face visits and an increase of up to 15 times in remote visits were observed as of March 2020 compared to the previous year. Subsequently, the face-to-face attendance rate began to recover, although it did not reach the same rate as before COVID-19. Non-face-to-face visits were maintained, representing more than 20% of the total after more than 2 years of the pandemic.

Conclusions: COVID-19 has been the trigger for a transition in the types of visits to primary care pediatric services. The COVID-19 pandemic was a clear catalyst for the integration of telemedicine in Catalan pediatric health care. In this context, although face-to-face consultations have recovered in absolute numbers, after the pandemic period, the weight of telemedicine has increased.

Citing Articles

Feasibility of a Pediatric Acute Video Consultation Process Among Health Care Professionals in Primary Care in a Rural Setting: Protocol for a Prospective Validation Study.

Castillo-Rodenas M, Vidal-Alaball J, Solanas-Bacardit N, Farras-Company C, Fuster-Casanovas A, Miro Catalina Q JMIR Res Protoc. 2024; 13:e52946.

PMID: 38300693 PMC: 10870202. DOI: 10.2196/52946.

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