Portuguese Pediatricians’s Perception of Services Reorganization During COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic presents a new and significant infection control challenge within healthcare units. Therefore, there was a need to reorganize and restructure the Pediatric Services (PS) nationwide whilst establishing efficient protection measures.

Objective: This study aims to characterize physicians’ perspective on their hospital’s measures implemented during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also intended to find a correlation between the timing of action and the measures that were taken and how it translated into numbers of infected doctors.

Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted to Pediatricians (P) and Pediatrics’ Residents (PR) concerning the month of April 2020. It was based on an anonymous and confidential survey applying a Likert Scale of 5 level points of agreement. An inferential and descriptive analysis resorting to SPSS-24 (α<0.05).

Results: From a total of 113, 69.7% (P) and 59.5% (PR) considered the reorganization and restructure of their PS adequate, nonetheless, belated [29.7% (PR) and 13.2% (P)]. There were differences between the physical divisions in COVID and non-COVID areas (p=0.001) and the readjustment timing. Earlier changes resulted in a safe and adequate PS’s division (p<0.001), creation of separated circuits (p=0.002), waiting rooms (p=0.043) and nurseries (p=0.021). There is a negative concordance between COVID confirmed cases within the team, the suspension of face-to-face appointments (r=-0.255) and FFP2’s availability (r=-0.279). From the sample, 47% had a complete PPE, 70% needed to rationate, 26% needed to purchase on his own.

Conclusion: In response to COVID-19, the adjustment of PS showed a higher degree of adaptation and adequacy proportional to the availability of material and individualization of separated workspaces. The greatest deficiencies were found at the level of PPE, namely with rationing or need for acquisition by professionals.