ASSESSMENT OF THE DYNAMICS OF HOSPITALIZED MORBIDITY CHILDREN IN THE FIRST YEAR OF LIFE

Abstract

In order to assess the hospitalized morbidity in children of the first year of life, an assessment of the rates of hospitalization and the average length of stay of a patient in a bed, depending on the type of hospitalization, the profile of beds and the class of diseases according to ICD-10 in dynamics over three years was made. To analyze the data, information obtained from the medical information system “Ariadna” by sampling 3371 children was used. Inclusion criteria: permanent residence in St. Petersburg, hospitalization in the first year of life in 2020–2022. It was found that the highest frequency of emergency hospitalizations was observed in the year of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients of the first year of life who were admitted urgently stayed in the hospital for less time than planned patients. Most often, patients were hospitalized in ophthalmic, pediatric and surgical beds, which accounted for 2/3 of all hospitalizations in the children’s multidisciplinary hospital during the study period. The children spent the longest time in other beds, among which the largest contribution was made by resuscitation beds for newborns. High rates of average length of stay were observed in neuropsychiatric, pediatric and surgical beds. Children with congenital anomalies (malformations), deformities and chromosomal abnormalities ranked first in the frequency of admission to the hospital, second and third places — with diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue and respiratory diseases, which grew during the studied time interval. The lowest rate of hospitalizations and the average length of stay in intensive care was observed in the year of strict quarantine restrictions, which was associated with the predominance of patients from the obstetric hospital of the perinatal center and emergency children with a general decrease in the flow of patients from medical organizations of the metropolis. Thus, the indicators of hospitalized morbidity were significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the presence of a perinatal center in the structure of a children’s multidisciplinary hospital, and the children’s hospital performing the functions of a third- level medical organization.