Remote Versus In-person Outpatient Clinic Visits and Antibiotic Use Among Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: The proportion of remote clinic visits was expected to increase among children during the COVID-19 pandemic which might result in antibiotic overuse. Methods: In southern Israel, 2 ethnic groups, Jewish and Bedouin, live side-by-side. Computerized data on visits for children P < 0.01) along with a reduction of in-person visit rates in both populations. Comparing pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods, the rates of overall infectious diagnoses in remote visits increased. Nevertheless, dispensed antibiotic prescription rates in remote visits (per 1000 visits) remained unchanged (9.84 vs. 8.67, P = 0.70, in the Jewish population and 14.32 vs. 14.17, P = 1.00, in the Bedouin population in the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods, respectively) with a similar distribution of antibiotic categories. Conclusions: COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an expansion of remote visits of children <18 years with an increase in infectious diagnoses. However, remote dispensed antibiotic prescription rates remained unchanged. These dynamics were more accentuated in Jewish children, characterized by higher socio-economic conditions, compared to Bedouin children.