Sluijter, M.M. (2021) Veranderingen in verleende huisartsenzorg aan kinderen en jongeren in Noord-Nederland tijdens de COVID-19-pandemie: minder infecties en meer psychische klachten. thesis, Medicine.
Full text available on request.Abstract
Background The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the well being of children and adolescents negatively in several ways. In the Netherlands, the total number of consultations at the General Practitioner (GP) for primarily non-urgent contacts decreased during the first wave (March – June 2020) and returned to a level similar to the number of contacts in 2019, the year prior to the pandemic. In what way the number of contacts and the indications for contacts have changed for children and adolescents specifically, is unknown. Aim The aim of this research was to identify the changes in the extent of and indications for provided GP care to children and adolescents before and during the COVID-19-pandemic. Methods Data of registered contacts of children and adolescents up to the age of 23 registered at the GP practices affiliated with the AHON (Dutch acronym for a large research database based on the medical files of general practitioners) in the North of the Netherlands (2019: N = 69382; 2020: N = 69778) were analyzed. Types of contact, indications for contacts, prescribed medications, and referrals to specialists in the year 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic) were compared to data from the year 2020 (during the COVID-19 pandemic). Results In 2020, children and adolescents had 7% fewer contacts with their GP than in 2019. A higher percentage of these contacts were carried out over the phone. The number of contacts regarding infections and trauma to the musculoskeletal system decreased, whereas the number of contacts of adolescents with mental health symptoms increased. The number of subscriptions of antidepressants to adolescents aged 19-22 increased. Conclusion The total number of contacts of children and adolescents with the GP decreased in 2020. The percentage of contacts by phone increased. The decrease in number of contacts was mostly accounted for by a decrease in acute symptoms. The number of psychological problems increased, as well as the number of prescriptions of antidepressants.
| Item Type: | Thesis (UNSPECIFIED) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Berger, prof. dr. M.Y. and Jansen, dr. D.E.M.C. |
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 07 Jan 2022 10:39 |
| Last Modified: | 07 Jan 2022 10:39 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/2999 |
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