Improvise, Adapt, Overcome: How COVID-19 Transformed Inpatient Pediatric Gastroenterology

Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2021 Dec;60(14):569-573. doi: 10.1177/00099228211044854. Epub 2021 Sep 5.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted inpatient pediatric services across the United States, creating opportunities for innovation. A recent Webinar organized by the Telehealth for Pediatric GI Care Now working group and sponsored by the North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition provided insights into how inpatient pediatric gastroenterology services were affected and how physicians adapted during the crisis. These findings suggest the use of telehealth technologies may augment family communication and facilitate multidisciplinary care in the future. We anticipate that these innovative applications of telehealth will comprise a part of a toolkit for gastroenterologists to be used during this public health emergency and beyond.

Keywords: COVID-19; e-consults; gastroenterology; inpatient; rounding; telehealth.

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19 / epidemiology*
  • COVID-19 / therapy
  • Child
  • Gastroenterology / education*
  • Humans
  • Pediatrics / education*
  • Societies, Medical / standards
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Telemedicine / methods*
  • United States