Children with COVID-19 can be safely treated at home, and the majority avoid hospitalisation altogether, according to a study by Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.
The research, led by Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and published in Archives of Disease in Childhood, found COVID-positive children with moderate symptoms or pre-existing high-risk conditions were treated effectively via the Royal Children’s Hospital Hospital-in-the-Home (HITH) program.
The study looked at all children admitted to the HITH program – referred by The Royal Children’s Hospital or the Victorian Department of Health – from March 2020 to March 2022.
Of 3,719 children in the HITH program, 421 aged 0-18 years had COVID-19. Of those, 16 had the original strain of COVID-19, 154 had Delta and 251 had Omicron.
Sixty-three percent of COVID-19-positive children in the program were high risk and 33 per cent were moderately unwell.
While the HITH program was untested for managing COVID-19 at the start of 2020, only 10 per cent of COVID-19-positive children were readmitted to hospital, with just 5 per cent needing medical intervention (such as oxygen).
As part of the HITH program, patients were assessed in person or via telehealth by a doctor or nurse up to three times daily. They were also supported by in-home monitoring (such as oximeters, scales, thermometers) and a symptom tracker. Patients were re-assessed in the case of deterioration.
With no published guidance on which children would benefit most from home-based management of COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic, MCRI developed a ‘traffic light guideline’ based on symptoms and clinical features to assist decisions.
MCRI’s Dr Laila Ibrahim says the program took pressure off paediatric emergency departments and helped reduce COVID-19 transmission in hospital during the first two years of the pandemic.
“Children do better if it’s possible to manage them at home and the infectious nature of SARS-CoV-2 increased the imperative to try to keep children out of hospital,” she says.
The paper says “for COVID-19-positive children, there are additional benefits to being out of hospital, where safety prioritisation means visiting restrictions and children confined to rooms”.
Originally published by Cosmos as Study shows children with COVID-19 can be safely cared for at home
Petra Stock
Petra Stock has a degree in environmental engineering and a Masters in Journalism from University of Melbourne. She has previously worked as a climate and energy analyst.
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