The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Physician Wellness: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided challenges to all healthcare workers. While the brunt of treating COVID-19 patients fell upon adult providers, pediatricians also experienced significant stressors and disruptions. Academic pediatricians and trainees (fellows and residents) were redeployed to manage adult patients in hospitalist and intensive care settings and/or had major changes to their clinical schedules. In this study, we aimed to describe levels of self-reported depression, anxiety, and burnout in pediatric physicians following the initial wave of the pandemic at the largest integrated health system in New York State. A cross-sectional study was conducted among pediatric physicians who cared for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic within the Northwell Health System as part of the Northwell Wellbeing Registry, a longitudinal registry assessing the psychological impact of COVID-19 on healthcare providers. A total of 99 pediatric physician respondents were included in this study; 72% of whom were attendings, 28% of whom were trainees. Compared to attendings, trainees reported significantly higher proportions of burnout-emotional exhaustion (p = 0.0007) and burnout-depersonalization (p = 0.0011) on the Abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory. There was not a similar trend in probable depression or probable anxiety using the Patient Health Questionnaire. In a multivariable logistic regression model, being a trainee was significantly associated with increased odds of burnout-emotional exhaustion (OR 5.94, 95% Confidence Interval: 1.85-19.02). These findings suggest that fellows and residents were a vulnerable population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Training programs should pay special attention to their trainees during times of crisis, and future studies can help to identify protective factors to reduce the risk of burnout during these times.

Characteristics and risk factors associated with critical illness in pediatric COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: While much has been reported regarding the clinical course of COVID-19 in children, little is known regarding factors associated with organ dysfunction in pediatric COVID-19. We describe critical illness in pediatric patients with active COVID-19 and identify factors associated with PICU admission and organ dysfunction. This is a retrospective chart review of 77 pediatric patients age 1 day to 21 years admitted to two New York City pediatric hospitals within the Northwell Health system between February 1 and April 24, 2020 with PCR + SARS-CoV-2. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the hospital course and laboratory results and bivariate comparisons were performed on variables to determine differences. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients (61%) were admitted to the general pediatric floor and thirty (39%) to the PICU. The majority (97%, n = 75) survived to discharge, 1.3% (n = 1) remain admitted, and 1.3% (n = 1) died. Common indications for PICU admission included hypoxia (50%), hemodynamic instability (20%), diabetic ketoacidosis (6.7%), mediastinal mass (6.7%), apnea (6.7%), acute chest syndrome in sickle cell disease (6.7%), and cardiac dysfunction (6.7%). Of PICU patients, 46.7% experienced any significant organ dysfunction (pSOFA > = 2) during admission. Patients aged 12 years or greater were more likely to be admitted to a PICU compared to younger patients (p = 0.015). Presence of an underlying comorbidity was not associated with need for PICU admission (p = 0.227) or organ dysfunction (p = 0.87). Initial white blood cell count (WBC), platelet count, and ferritin were not associated with need for PICU admission. Initial C-reactive protein was associated with both need for PICU admission (p = 0.005) and presence of organ dysfunction (p = 0.001). Initial WBC and presenting thrombocytopenia were associated with organ dysfunction (p = 0.034 and p = 0.003, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Age over 12 years and initial CRP were associated with need for PICU admission in COVID-19. Organ dysfunction was associated with elevated admission CRP, elevated WBC, and thrombocytopenia. These factors may be useful in determining risk for critical illness and organ dysfunction in pediatric COVID-19.

A Case Series of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in 3 Febrile Infants in New York.

We describe 3 febrile infants <2 months of age admitted to a large tertiary care children's hospital in New York and subsequently found to be infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. All 3 patients presented with fever, feeding difficulty, lymphopenia, and thrombocytosis on laboratory evaluation. Two of the 3 patients were found to have neutropenia, and 2 had known exposures to sick contacts. In this case series, we describe 3 of the youngest patients to be reported with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in the United States.

Early Experience of COVID-19 in a US Children's Hospital.

OBJECTIVES: We aim to describe the demographics, clinical presentation, hospital course, and severity of pediatric inpatients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with an emphasis on healthy, immunocompromised, and chronically ill children. METHODS: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study of hospitalized children aged younger than 22 years with COVID-19 infection at Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center at Northwell Health. Cases were identified from patients with fever and/or respiratory symptoms who underwent a nucleic acid amplification-based test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients were identified. The median age was 10.3 years (interquartile range, 1.4 months to 16.3 years), with 48% of patients older than 12 years and 29% of patients younger than 60 days of age. Fever was present in 86% of patients, lower respiratory symptoms or signs in 60%, and gastrointestinal symptoms in 62%. Thirty-five percent of patients required ICU care. The white blood cell count was elevated in severe disease (P = .0027), as was the C-reactive protein level (P = .0192), compared with mild and moderate disease. Respiratory support was required in 34% of patients. Severity was lowest in infants younger than 60 days of age and highest in chronically ill children; 79% of immunocompromised children had mild disease. One death was reported. CONCLUSIONS: Among children who are hospitalized for COVID-19, most are younger than 60 days or older than 12 years of age. Children may have severe infection requiring intensive care support. The clinical course of immunocompromised patients was not more severe than that of other children. Elevated white blood cell count and C-reactive protein level are associated with greater illness severity.