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Long-term home isolation due to lockdown measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak bears the potential for increased risk of domestic accidents in children, as an additional collateral damage of this pandemic.1–3
Hence, we aimed to assess the frequency and severity of presentations for domestic accidents between 8 March, when lockdown measures were enforced in our region, and 20 April 2020 compared with the corresponding period during the previous year.
We searched the paediatric emergency department (PED) electronic database for injury presentations related to trauma, poisoning, burns and foreign bodies (in the respiratory/gastrointestinal tract, or in the ear/nose/throat), as well as any presentations flagged as domestic injury at triage. We reviewed the identified records to accurately select injuries sustained in the household. We excluded children<1 year of age, as they most commonly stay at home independently of whether lockdown measures are in place or not. We also excluded self-inflicted injuries or intentional poisonings.
The primary outcomes …
Footnotes
Contributors LDD and SB conceived the study with input from DG, FT and EG. SB and FT retrieved and reviewed the medical records. EG and DG analysed and interpreted the data. All authors reviewed and interpreted data. SB drafted the manuscript, which was revised by all authors.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent for publication Not required.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.