Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Self-Reported Frequency of Hospital Visits and Pediatric Care Outcomes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Introduction Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has influenced various aspects of health care and its outcomes. Several studies conducted on different age groups from different countries have reported a decrease in the frequency of hospital visits during the pandemic. Aim This study aimed to assess the self-reported effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital visits and healthcare outcomes in the pediatric age group. We further aimed to assess the participants' beliefs on the reasons for decreased frequency of hospital visits during the pandemic. Methods This was a quantitative analytical cross-sectional study. Data from the parents of children less than 14 years living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire. The questionnaire included sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, self-reported frequency of hospital visits, and potential consequences on pediatric care outcomes during the pandemic. A total of 1,548 initial respondents filled the questionnaire, out of which only 1,311 had children aged less than 14 years. SPSS version 25 (IBM, New York, USA) was used for statistical analysis. Results We found that of the 1,311 eligible respondents, majority (75.1%) were mothers of the children while only 24.9% were fathers, and 34.4% of the respondents had two children less than 14 years. Majority (76.7%) of the respondents were from the central region and felt that the pandemic has reduced their frequency of hospital visits. Furthermore, majority (78.6%) of the respondents believed that the decreased hospital (emergency or clinic) visits did not have any negative effect on the health and care of their children. Moreover, 56.4% of the participants responded that lack of the need to visit the hospital during the pandemic was the reason for their decreased hospital visits frequency, and 51.6% were afraid of being infected by the virus. There was a significant association between decreased hospital visits and missing an appointment for vaccination, delayed diagnosis, deterioration of participants' children's condition, and running out of treatment and inability to refill. Conclusion This study was conducted to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital visits and pediatric care outcomes in the KSA. We hypothesized that the pandemic has led to a reduction in pediatric hospital visits which might influence pediatric care outcomes. We found that there was a decrease in the frequency of hospital visits. This decrease was attributed to the lack of the need to go to the hospital or to the fear of being infected by the virus. A significant association was found between the participants' beliefs of the pandemic effect on hospital visits and its effect on the pediatric care outcomes.