TY - JOUR
T1 - The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric rheumatology practice
T2 - an international, cross-sectional survey study
AU - Batu, Ezgi D.
AU - Demirkan, Fatma Gül
AU - Sag, Erdal
AU - Lamot, Lovro
AU - Faleye, Ayodele
AU - Marrani, Edoardo
AU - Ziv, Amit
AU - Ardalan, Kaveh
AU - Gmuca, Sabrina
AU - Swart, Joost F.
AU - Uziel, Yosef
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected patient care in general. We aimed to analyze the impact of the pandemic on pediatric rheumatology practice. Methods: An online survey including 22 questions was created by the representatives of the Emerging RheumatoloGists and rEsearchers (EMERGE) group of the Pediatric Rheumatology European Society (PReS) on SurveyMonkey. The descriptive analysis of the responses was performed on SurveyMonkey. Results: Overall, 469 pediatric rheumatologists (F/M: 2.9) from 70 countries completed the survey. The practice of drug prescription is not affected by the pandemic, according to 65.3 % of the respondents, while 24.3 % and 16.5 % are prescribing biologic drugs and corticosteroids less often, respectively. Over 40 % of the respondents have seen an increased number of patients with vasculitis or chilblains during the pandemic. One-third of the respondents stated no adjustments in their clinical practice after 2.5 years of COVID-19 pandemic. The rest indicated implementing various changes, with an emphasis on incorporating telemedicine. Telemedicine constitutes ≥10 % of the clinical practice for one-third of the participants. Nonetheless, 35.5 % agree that there are still delays in patient care due to the pandemic. However, most (∼90 %) think our practice is returning to the pre-pandemic routine. Conclusion: The findings of our study indicate a significant alteration in pediatric rheumatology practice due to the pandemic. This includes increased caution when prescribing anti-rheumatic drugs, a transition towards telemedicine utilization, delays in routine care, and a rise in COVID-19-related inflammatory conditions. It is imperative to address these aspects in order to improve patient care in pediatric rheumatology.
AB - Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected patient care in general. We aimed to analyze the impact of the pandemic on pediatric rheumatology practice. Methods: An online survey including 22 questions was created by the representatives of the Emerging RheumatoloGists and rEsearchers (EMERGE) group of the Pediatric Rheumatology European Society (PReS) on SurveyMonkey. The descriptive analysis of the responses was performed on SurveyMonkey. Results: Overall, 469 pediatric rheumatologists (F/M: 2.9) from 70 countries completed the survey. The practice of drug prescription is not affected by the pandemic, according to 65.3 % of the respondents, while 24.3 % and 16.5 % are prescribing biologic drugs and corticosteroids less often, respectively. Over 40 % of the respondents have seen an increased number of patients with vasculitis or chilblains during the pandemic. One-third of the respondents stated no adjustments in their clinical practice after 2.5 years of COVID-19 pandemic. The rest indicated implementing various changes, with an emphasis on incorporating telemedicine. Telemedicine constitutes ≥10 % of the clinical practice for one-third of the participants. Nonetheless, 35.5 % agree that there are still delays in patient care due to the pandemic. However, most (∼90 %) think our practice is returning to the pre-pandemic routine. Conclusion: The findings of our study indicate a significant alteration in pediatric rheumatology practice due to the pandemic. This includes increased caution when prescribing anti-rheumatic drugs, a transition towards telemedicine utilization, delays in routine care, and a rise in COVID-19-related inflammatory conditions. It is imperative to address these aspects in order to improve patient care in pediatric rheumatology.
KW - Covid-19
KW - MIS-C
KW - Pandemic
KW - Pediatric rheumatology
KW - Survey
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85175233619&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2023.152289
DO - 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2023.152289
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C2 - 37918050
AN - SCOPUS:85175233619
SN - 0049-0172
VL - 63
JO - Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism
JF - Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism
M1 - 152289
ER -