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- Title
COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspective From Italian Pediatric Emergency Physicians.
- Authors
Monzani, Alice; Ragazzoni, Luca; Della Corte, Francesco; Rabbone, Ivana; Franc, Jeffrey M.
- Abstract
Objectives: To document the lived experience of Italian pediatric emergency physicians during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: We developed a structured interview to collect the lived experience of the staff of the pediatric emergency department (PED) of a tertiary referral university hospital in Northern Italy. The open-ended questions were draft according to the suggestions of Canadian colleagues and administered by 1 interviewer, who was part of the PED staff, at the end of March 2020. All the PED staff was interviewed, on a voluntary basis, using purposive sampling. Results: Most respondents declared to be afraid of becoming infected and of infecting their families. The number of patients seen in the PED has decreased, and the cases tend to be more severe. A shift in the clinical approach to the ill child has occurred, the physical examination is problem-oriented, aiming to avoid un-necessary maneuvers and to minimize the number of practitioners involved. The most challenging aspects reported are: (1) performing a physical examination in personal protective equipment (PPE), (2) being updated with rapidly evolving guidelines, and (3) staying focused on the possible COVID-19 clinical presentation without failing in differential diagnosis. Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems that pediatric emergency physicians are radically changing their clinical practice, aiming at prioritizing essential interventions and maneuvers and self-protection.
- Subjects
NORTHERN Italy; COVID-19 pandemic; PEDIATRICIANS; EMERGENCY physicians; PEDIATRIC emergencies; COVID-19; PEDIATRIC emergency services
- Publication
Disaster Medicine & Public Health Preparedness, 2020, Vol 14, Issue 5, p648
- ISSN
1935-7893
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1017/dmp.2020.198