Pädiatrische Versorgung in Schleswig-Holstein in der zweiten Hälfte der Pandemie

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, protective measures had to be taken to minimize the rate of infection. Many pediatric services ran at a reduced scale during this time. Families in general, and especially families with chronically ill children, were particularly affected.

The aim was to investigate the medical care of children in Schleswig-Holstein at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as identifying perceived burdens on parents and satisfaction with care.

A total of 2484 parents with children (< 18 years) were invited to participate in an online survey on various aspects of pediatric care. This was a cross-sectional study with a population-based random sample in Schleswig-Holstein. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods.

Of the contacted families 16.8% (n = 416) completely answered the questionnaire and 33.7% (n = 140) had at least 1 child affected by a chronic illness. Care needs in healthcare services (physiotherapy, etc.) were statistically significantly more common in chronically ill children than in healthy children (80.7% vs. 37.7%; p < 0.001). Of the parents of chronically ill children 20.0% (n = 28) reported moderate or severe psychological distress compared to 5.4% (n = 15) of parents of healthy children.

There were clear differences between chronically ill and healthy children with respect to perceived pediatric care and parental stress. Chronically ill children and their parents are under great strain also during the pandemic and require additional support.