Introduction

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has disrupted outpatient pediatrics, postponing well-child care to address immediate patient safety concerns. Screening for lead toxicity is a critical component of this care. Children may be at increased risk for lead exposure at home because of social restrictions. We present data on how COVID-19 restrictions have impacted lead screening in a primary care practice.

Method

Lead testing data on 658 children in a primary care practice were analyzed to determine the effect of COVID-19 restrictions on lead screening rates, levels, and deficiencies.

Results

Lead screening significantly decreased during peak restrictions, leading to increased screening deficiencies. Despite this decrease, screening lead levels increased during peak restrictions.

Discussion

These data show how COVID-19 restrictions have disrupted routine care and highlight the importance of continued lead screening in at-risk populations. The electronic medical record can be leveraged to identify deficiencies to be targeted by quality improvement initiatives.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 大流行限制对初级保健诊所铅筛查的影响

介绍

2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 扰乱了儿科门诊，推迟了良好的儿童护理以解决直接的患者安全问题。铅毒性筛查是这种护理的关键组成部分。由于社会限制，儿童在家中接触铅的风险可能会增加。我们提供了有关 COVID-19 限制如何影响初级保健实践中铅筛查的数据。

方法

对初级保健机构中 658 名儿童的铅检测数据进行了分析，以确定 COVID-19 限制对铅筛查率、水平和缺陷的影响。

结果

在峰值限制期间，铅筛选显着减少，导致筛选缺陷增加。尽管有所下降，但在高峰期限制期间筛查铅水平有所增加。

讨论

这些数据显示了 COVID-19 限制如何扰乱了常规护理，并强调了在高危人群中继续进行铅筛查的重要性。可以利用电子病历来识别质量改进计划要针对的缺陷。