Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic-related changes in pediatric patient numbers in Tokushima, Japan: Analysis of medical claims data

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the number of patients visiting medical institutions. Objective This study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of pediatric inpatients and outpatients visiting medical institutions. Methods We evaluated medical claims data of individuals aged < 15 years insured by the National Health Insurance in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. Using multivariable negative binomial regression models, we calculated the inpatient and outpatient incident rate ratios (IRRs) for FY2020 (COVID-19 pandemic period) compared to FY2019 (pre-pandemic period). Results The inpatient and outpatient IRRs were 0.58 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.42–0.80) and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.57–1.09) in FY2020, respectively, had significantly decreased, and were not significantly different from the reference values in FY2019. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that the number of pediatric inpatients and outpatients decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a greater impact on inpatients. Future research is needed to confirm the effects of the disease and the reasons for the decrease in pediatric visits, post-pandemic rebound, and pediatric health outcomes.