CUPID COVID-19: Paediatric emergency department attendance during Covid-19
Lead Researchers: Dr Emma Nicholson, Dr Therese McDonnell, UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems
In collaboration with Professor Eilish McAuliffe, Dr Michael Barrett, Dr Conor Hensey, Professor Fergal Cummins
Funded By: Health Research Board (HRB) (Funding Agency Ref No: COV19-2020-076) I Programme: Covid-19 Rapid Response
Duration: 11-May-20 to 10-May-21
This project aims to ensure children continue to receive timely access to emergency healthcare throughout the duration of Covid-19. The repurposing of health system resources to tackle the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic, together with an apparent reluctance by some parents to access healthcare for their children at this time, may lead to a dramatic decrease in Emergency Department (ED) attendance by paediatric patients.
A delay in seeking healthcare, particularly for children with chronic complex conditions, may result in further deterioration in an illness and ultimately lead to hospital admissions which could be avoided with timely access to healthcare. Avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital is critical at a time when resources in the health system are severely limited.
As the pandemic unfolds, assessment of changes in ED attendance and capturing the experience of parents will provide pertinent information to help identify unmet need and to identify those at risk. This study also includes data gathering from ED clinical staff to inform the interpretation of findings.
Hear Dr Nicholson discuss the aim of this project.
Co-investigators:
Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin – Dr Michael Barrett
Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street– Dr Conor Hensey
University Hospital Limerick – Prof Fergal Cummins
Collaborators:
Children's Health Ireland – Dr Ciara Martin
University Hospital Cork – Dr Conor Deasy
Outputs from CUPID COVID-19
Publications
Research Study Protocol
McDonnell T, McAuliffe E, Barrett M, Conlon C, Cummins F, Deasy C, Hensey C, Martin C, Nicholson E. CUPID COVID-19: emergency department attendance by paediatric patients during COVID-19 - project protocol [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]. HRB Open Res 2020, 3:37
Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 Public Health Stages on Paediatric Emergency Attendance
McDonnell T, Nicholson E, Conlon C, Barrett M, Cummins F, Hensey C, McAuliffe E. Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 Public Health Stages on Paediatric Emergency Attendance. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(18):6719. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph1718671
Parental Hesitancy and Concerns around Accessing Paediatric Unscheduled Healthcare during COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Nicholson E, McDonnell T, Conlon C, Barrett M, Cummins F, Hensey C, McAuliffe E. Parental Hesitancy and Concerns around Accessing Paediatric Unscheduled Healthcare during COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Survey. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(24):9264. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249264
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Child Health and Well-Being: Are Children “Slipping through the Net”? A Qualitative Study of Frontline Emergency Care Staff.
Conlon C, McDonnell T, Barrett M, Cummins F, Deasy C, Hensey C, McAuliffe E, Nicholson E. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Child Health and Well-Being: Are Children “Slipping through the Net”? A Qualitative Study of Frontline Emergency Care Staff, 29 January 2021, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square [https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-151753/v1]
Paediatric Mental Health & COVID-19 (paper forthcoming)
Press
Webinars and Conferences
UCD COVID-19 Research Seminar Series: Researchers Tackling the Crisis
UCD CHILD conference: The Impact of Covid-19 on Children's Health and Development.
Ms Ciara Conlon, Understanding Paediatric Emergency Department Trends During COVID-19: A Qualitative Study.
Dr Nicholson discusses the aim of this project.
