Childhood accidents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a descriptive study

Abstract Objective To compare the characteristics of accidents involving children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic with the characteristics of accidents occurring in the same period of the previous year. Methods A descriptive, exploratory, retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in the emergency care units of a university hospital in São Paulo. The intentional non-probabilistic sample was obtained from data recorded in electronic medical records and consisted of children and adolescents aged zero to 18 years who were treated for accidents in two study periods: March to September 2020 and March to September 2019. A total of 1,527 children and adolescents treated in 2019 and 1,168 in 2020 were included, and variables characterizing the participants, injuries and care provided were assessed. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and the Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were applied. Results Accidents accounted for 8% (n=1,540) of the 19,332 pediatric emergency care visits in 2019 and 17.7% (n=1,200) of the 6,784 visits in 2020, with a significant difference in incidence between the years investigated (p<0.001). Foreign body accidents (43% in 2019; 49.6% in 2020) and falls (29.9% in 2019; 21.5% in 2020) prevailed. Most injuries were classified as moderate. Conclusion The need for children and adolescents to remain at home during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant increase in the frequency of accidents in the emergency department, reinforcing the need for actions to promote safe environments for this population.