Prescription Drug Dispensing to US Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Changes in the Appropriateness of US Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing After the COVID-19 Outbreak: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis of 2016-2021 Data

BACKGROUND

No national study has evaluated changes in the appropriateness of US outpatient antibiotic prescribing across all conditions and age groups after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in March 2020.

METHODS

This was an interrupted time series analysis of Optum's de-identified Clinformatics Data Mart Database, a national commercial and Medicare Advantage claims database. Analyses included prescriptions for antibiotics dispensed to children and adults enrolled during each month during 2017-2021. For each prescription, we applied our previously developed antibiotic appropriateness classification scheme to International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes on medical claims occurring on or during the 3 days prior to dispensing. Outcomes included the monthly proportion of antibiotic prescriptions that were inappropriate and the monthly proportion of enrollees with ≥1 inappropriate prescription. Using segmented regression models, we assessed for level and slope changes in outcomes in March 2020.

RESULTS

Analyses included 37 566 581 enrollees, of whom 19 154 059 (51.0%) were female. The proportion of enrollees with ≥1 inappropriate prescription decreased in March 2020 (level decrease: -0.80 percentage points [95% confidence interval {CI}, -1.09% to -.51%]) and subsequently increased (slope increase: 0.02 percentage points per month [95% CI, .01%-.03%]), partly because overall antibiotic dispensing rebounded and partly because the proportion of antibiotic prescriptions that were inappropriate increased (slope increase: 0.11 percentage points per month [95% CI, .04%-.18%]). In December 2021, the proportion of enrollees with ≥1 inappropriate prescription equaled the corresponding proportion in December 2019.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite an initial decline, the proportion of enrollees exposed to inappropriate antibiotics returned to baseline levels by December 2021. Findings underscore the continued importance of outpatient antibiotic stewardship initiatives.

Drug utilisation in children and adolescents before and after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic: Interrupted time-series analyses in three European countries

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected children and adolescents in several ways, including worsened mental health, improvement of asthma, and increases in diabetes ketoacidosis. Less is known about how medication use in children and adolescents has been affected by the pandemic.

OBJECTIVES

To explore how the COVID-19 pandemic affected drug utilisation in children and adolescents in Norway, Sweden, and Italy, by child age.

METHODS

We conducted a longitudinal drug utilisation study among all children and adolescents (<18 years old) in Norway and Sweden and a nationwide paediatric database covering 3% of the paediatric population in Italy. We conducted an interrupted time-series analysis from January 2018 to December 2021, with March 2020 as the interruption point. Dispensing or prescription rates of antidepressants, anxiolytics, sleep medications, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications, insulin, and asthma medications were examined.

RESULTS

The study population in January 2018 consisted of 3,455,521 children and adolescents (136,188 from Italy, 1,160,431 from Norway, and 2,158,902 from Sweden). For sleep medications and insulin, there were only minor changes in level or trend in some age groups after March 2020. For asthma medications, the pandemic was associated with an immediate decrease in dispensing in Norway and Sweden (range of change in level: -19.2 to -3.7 dispensings per 1000 person-months), and an increasing trend in all countries afterward (range of change in trend: 0.3-6.4 dispensings per 1000 person-months), especially for the youngest age groups. Among adolescents, the pandemic was associated with an increased trend for ADHD medications, antidepressants, and anxiolytics in Norway and Sweden, but not in Italy.

CONCLUSIONS

The increasing trend of psychotropic medication dispensing, especially among adolescents after the start of the pandemic, is concerning and should be investigated further. Aside from a temporary effect on asthma medication dispensing, the pandemic did not greatly affect the dispensing of the medications investigated.

Health Care Access and Use Among U.S. Children Exposed to Neighborhood Violence

INTRODUCTION

Neighborhood violence is an adverse childhood experience which impacts millions of U.S. children and is associated with poor health outcomes across the life course. These effects may be mitigated by access to care. Yet, the ways in which exposure to neighborhood violence shapes children's health care access have been understudied.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional analysis of 16,083 children (weighted N=67,214,201) ages 1 to <18 years from the 2019 and 2021 National Health Interview Survey. Guardians were asked about preventive care access, unmet health needs, and health care utilization in the last year. Changes associated with exposure to neighborhood violence were estimated using marginal effects from multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for year, age, sex, race/ethnicity, parental education, family structure, rurality, income, insurance type, insurance discontinuity, and overall reported health.

RESULTS

Of 16,083 sample children, 863 (weighted 5.3% [95% CI 4.8-5.7]) reported exposure to neighborhood violence, representing a weighted population of ∼3.5 million. In adjusted analyses, exposure to violence was associated with forgone prescriptions (adjusted difference 1.2 percentage-points (pp) [95%CI 0.1-2.3]; weighted national population impact 42,833 children), trouble paying medical bills (7.7pp [4.4-11.0]; 271,735), delayed medical (1.5pp [0.2-2.9]; 54,063) and mental health care (2.8pp [1.1-4.6]; 98,627), and increased urgent care (4.5pp [0.9-8.1]; 158,246) and emergency department utilization (6.4pp [3.1-9.8]; 227,373).

CONCLUSIONS

In this nationally representative study, neighborhood violence exposure among children was associated with unmet health needs and increased acute care utilization. Evidence-based interventions to improve access to care and reduce economic precarity in communities impacted by violence are needed to mitigate downstream physical and mental health consequences.

School closures and prescription medication use among children and adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA, 2019-2022

The impact of schools closing for in-person instruction in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of prescription medications is not known. In this study, we examined changes in the total prescriptions filled, specifically for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications, among school-aged children and adolescents aged 10-19 years during periods before and after complete school closures between October 2019 and September 2022. Our findings indicate that complete school closures were associated with declines in the use of ADHD medications among younger populations in the USA. These findings suggest that the underuse of ADHD medications may be an overlooked contributor to declines in academic performance observed during periods of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ADHD Prevalence Among U.S. Children and Adolescents in 2022: Diagnosis, Severity, Co-Occurring Disorders, and Treatment

OBJECTIVE

To provide updated national prevalence estimates of diagnosed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), ADHD severity, co-occurring disorders, and receipt of ADHD medication and behavioral treatment among U.S. children and adolescents by demographic and clinical subgroups using data from the 2022 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH).

METHOD

This study used 2022 NSCH data to estimate the prevalence of ever diagnosed and current ADHD among U.S. children aged 3-17 years. Among children with current ADHD, ADHD severity, presence of current co-occurring disorders, and receipt of medication and behavioral treatment were estimated. Weighted estimates were calculated overall and for demographic and clinical subgroups (n = 45,169).

RESULTS

Approximately 1 in 9 U.S. children have ever received an ADHD diagnosis (11.4%, 7.1 million children) and 10.5% (6.5 million) had current ADHD. Among children with current ADHD, 58.1% had moderate or severe ADHD, 77.9% had at least one co-occurring disorder, approximately half of children with current ADHD (53.6%) received ADHD medication, and 44.4% had received behavioral treatment for ADHD in the past year; nearly one third (30.1%) did not receive any ADHD-specific treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Pediatric ADHD remains an ongoing and expanding public health concern, as approximately 1 million more children had ever received an ADHD diagnosis in 2022 than in 2016. Estimates from the 2022 NSCH provide information on pediatric ADHD during the last full year of the COVID-19 pandemic and can be used by policymakers, government agencies, health care systems, public health practitioners, and other partners to plan for needs of children with ADHD.

Utilization of antidepressants, anxiolytics, and hypnotics during the COVID-19 pandemic

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been concerns over the mental health impact of COVID-19. This is a review of the utilization of antidepressants, anxiolytics, and hypnotics since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared on March the 11th 2020. A number of reports so far have been based on large prescription databases for administrative use at the national or regional level, but mainly in high-income countries. We found studies reporting increased prescription rates of antidepressants, anxiolytics, and hypnotics during March 2020, which has been interpreted as hoarding of such medications. In the following months, most studies of antidepressant prescription rates did not display a clear pattern of change compared with prepandemic trends. In later phases of the pandemic small increases in utilization of antidepressants, with higher than predicted prescription rates, have been the most consistent finding, especially in youth. In most high-income countries, there were increasing trends in utilization of antidepressants also before 2020, which needs to be considered when estimating utilization during the pandemic, whereas for anxiolytics and hypnotics, the prepandemic patterns of prescriptions were more varying. Overall, after March 2020 we could not find any distinct changes in the utilization of anxiolytics and hypnotics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most studies did not contain information about the prevalence of indicated psychiatric disorders in the studied populations. More studies are needed about the long-term effects of COVID-19, particularly regarding utilization of antidepressants. Research relating antidepressant utilization with the prevalence of major depression and anxiety disorders would promote a better understanding of how well antidepressant prescription rates reflect the needs of the population.

ADHD prescription patterns and medication adherence in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic in an urban academic setting

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 impacted all students, especially those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), putting them at risk for disruption to their medication regimen and school performance. Our study aimed to identify if ADHD medication regimens were disrupted through analyzing prescription refills and if telehealth management demonstrated a higher rate of adherence.

METHODS

A total of 396 patients from the General Academic Pediatrics (GAP) clinic at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters (CHKD) were included in the study. Patients were between the ages of 8-18 with a history of ADHD for three or more years that was medically managed with four or more prescription refills between January 2019 and May 2022. A retrospective chart review collected age, sex, race, refill schedule, appointment schedule, and number of telehealth appointments. Data analysis compared the variables and defined "pre-pandemic months" as January 2019 through March 2020 and "pandemic months" as April 2020 through June 2022.

RESULTS

The total percentage of patients who had their ADHD medications during pre-pandemic months ranged from 40 to 66% versus 31-44% during pandemic months. Additionally, the total percentage of patients who had quarterly ADHD management appointments during pre-pandemic months ranged between 59 and 70% versus 33-50% during pandemic months. The number of months with ADHD prescription refills over the last three years was significantly higher among those who had both virtual and in-person visits than those who had just in-person visits, p < 0.001. Regarding race, Black patients had a lower number of medication refills compared to White patients when controlled for appointment type. They also had a lower number of total appointments, but there was not a significant difference in the number of virtual appointments.

CONCLUSIONS

Since the start of the pandemic, ADHD patients have both refilled their prescriptions and returned to clinic less frequently. This data suggests a need to re-evaluate the ADHD symptoms of GAP patients periodically and return them to a more consistent medication regimen. Telehealth appointments are a potential solution to increase adherence. However, racial inequities found in this study need to be addressed.

Antibiotic Receipt for Pediatric Telemedicine Visits With Primary Care vs Direct-to-Consumer Vendors

Importance

Prior research found that pediatric direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine visits are associated with more antibiotic prescribing than in-person primary care visits. It is unclear whether this difference is associated with modality of care (telemedicine vs in-person) or with the context of telemedicine care (primary care vs not primary care).

Objective

To compare antibiotic management during telemedicine visits with primary care practitioners (PCPs) vs commercial direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine companies for pediatric acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs).

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective, cross-sectional study of visits for ARTIs by commercially insured children 17 years of age or younger analyzed deidentified medical and pharmacy claims in OptumLabs Data Warehouse data, a national sample of commercial enrollees, between January 1 and December 31, 2022.

Exposure

Setting of telemedicine visit as PCP vs DTC.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was percentage of visits with antibiotic receipt. Secondary outcomes were the percentages of visits with diagnoses for which prescription of an antibiotic was potentially appropriate, guideline-concordant antibiotic management, and follow-up ARTI visits within the ensuing 1 to 2 days and 3 to 14 days. The ARTI telemedicine visits with PCP vs DTC telemedicine companies were matched on child demographic characteristics. Generalized estimated equation log-binomial regression models were used to compute marginal outcomes.

Results

In total, data from 27 686 children (mean [SD] age, 8.9 [5.0] years; 13 893 [50.2%] male) were included in this study. There were 14 202 PCP telemedicine index visits matched to 14 627 DTC telemedicine index visits. The percentage of visits involving receipt of an antibiotic was lower for PCP (28.9% [95% CI, 28.1%-29.7%]) than for DTC (37.2% [95% CI, 36.0%-38.5%]) telemedicine visits. Additionally, fewer PCP telemedicine visits involved receipt of a diagnosis in which the use of antibiotics may be appropriate (19.0% [95% CI, 18.4%-19.7%] vs 28.4% [95% CI, 27.3%-29.6%]), but no differences were observed in receipt of nonguideline-concordant antibiotic management based on a given diagnosis between PCP (20.2% [95% CI, 19.5%-20.9%]) and DTC (20.1% [95% CI, 19.1%-21.0%]) telemedicine visits. Fewer PCP telemedicine visits involved a follow-up visit within the ensuing 1 to 2 days (5.0% [95% CI, 4.7%-5.4%] vs 8.0% [95% CI, 7.3%-8.7%]) and 3 to 14 days (8.2% [95% CI, 7.8%-8.7%] vs 9.6% [95% CI, 8.8%-10.3%]).

Conclusions and Relevance

Compared with virtual-only DTC telemedicine companies, telemedicine integrated within primary care was associated with lower rates of antibiotic receipt and follow-up care. Supporting use of telemedicine integrated within pediatric primary care may be one strategy to reduce antibiotic receipt through telemedicine visits.

Antidepressant Dispensing to US Adolescents and Young Adults: 2016-2022

BACKGROUND

Mental health worsened in adolescents and young adults after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in March 2020, but whether antidepressant dispensing to this population changed is unknown.

METHODS

We identified antidepressant prescriptions dispensed to US individuals aged 12 to 25 years from 2016 to 2022 using the IQVIA Longitudinal Prescription Database, an all-payer national database. The outcome was the monthly antidepressant dispensing rate, defined as the monthly number of individuals with ≥1 dispensed antidepressant prescription per 100 000 people. We fitted linear segmented regression models assessing for level or slope changes during March 2020 and conducted subgroup analyses by sex and age group.

RESULTS

Between January 2016 and December 2022, the monthly antidepressant dispensing rate increased 66.3%, from 2575.9 to 4284.8. Before March 2020, this rate increased by 17.0 per month (95% confidence interval: 15.2 to 18.8). The COVID-19 outbreak was not associated with a level change but was associated with a slope increase of 10.8 per month (95% confidence interval: 4.9 to 16.7). The monthly antidepressant dispensing rate increased 63.5% faster from March 2020 onwards compared with beforehand. In subgroup analyses, this rate increased 129.6% and 56.5% faster from March 2020 onwards compared with beforehand among females aged 12 to 17 years and 18 to 25 years, respectively. In contrast, the outbreak was associated with a level decrease among males aged 12 to 17 years and was not associated with a level or slope change among males aged 18 to 25 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Antidepressant dispensing to adolescents and young adults was rising before the COVID-19 outbreak and rose 63.5% faster afterward. This change was driven by increased antidepressant dispensing to females and occurred despite decreased dispensing to male adolescents.

Use of antibiotics in Paediatric Primary Health Care before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION

Consumption of antibiotics is high in Spain, primarily in children. Excessive use of then contributes to the development of antimicrobial resistance. The aim of our study is to analyse the evolution of antibiotic consumption at the Primary Health Care in the paediatric population of Asturias, Spain, from 2014 to 2021, and to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on it.

METHODS

Retrospective and observational study using data about antibacterial agents for systemic use dispensed for official prescriptions to children under 14 years in Primary Care. Antibiotic consumption is expressed as defined daily dose (DDD) per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID).

RESULTS

The antibiotic consumption rate dropped from 13.9 DID in 2014 to 4.0 in 2021 (β=-1,42, p=0,002), with and inflection point in 2019. From 2019 to 2020 antibiotic use dropped by 47.1%. Antibiotic consumption remained very low from April 2020 to September 2021, and then moderately increased from October 2021. Prevalence of antibiotic use dropped from 39.9% in 2014 to 17.5% in 2021 (β=-3,64, p=0,006). Relative consumption of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid decreased, while those of amoxiciline and third-generation cephalosporins increased.

CONCLUSIONS

Paediatric antibiotic consumption collapsed in Asturias in 2020, coinciding with COVID-19 pandemic. Monitoring of antimicrobial usage indicators will allow to check if these changes are sustained over time.

Pediatric ADHD Medication Errors Reported to United States Poison Centers, 2000 to 2021

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the characteristics and trends of out-of-hospital attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication-related therapeutic errors among youth <20 years old reported to US poison centers.

METHODS

National Poison Data System data from 2000 through 2021 were analyzed. Population-based rates were calculated using US census data.

RESULTS

There were 124 383 ADHD medication-related therapeutic errors reported to US poison centers from 2000 through 2021, with the annual frequency increasing by 299.0% during that period. Two-thirds (66.6%) of the 87 691 first-ranked exposures involved children 6 to 12 years old, three-fourths (76.4%) were among males, and half (50.5%) involved amphetamines and related compounds. Most (79.7%) therapeutic errors were single-substance exposures. Although most (82.7%) individuals did not receive treatment in a health care facility (HCF), 2.3% were admitted to a HCF and 4.2% had a serious medical outcome. Children <6 years old were more likely to experience a serious medical outcome (odds ratio = 2.1; 95% confidence interval: 1.9-2.3) or be admitted to a HCF (odds ratio = 3.4; 95% confidence interval: 3.0-3.7) than 6 to 19-year-olds. The most common scenarios were "inadvertently taken or given medication twice" (53.9%), followed by "inadvertently taken or given someone else's medication" (13.4%), and "wrong medication taken or given" (12.9%).

CONCLUSIONS

The frequency of cases reported to poison centers of pediatric out-of-hospital therapeutic errors related to ADHD medications increased by almost 300% during the 22-year study period and is likely attributable to increased prescribing of these medications. Because therapeutic errors are preventable, more attention should be given to patient and caregiver education and development of improved child-resistant medication dispensing and tracking systems.

Geographic Trends in Pediatric Psychotropic Medication Dispensing Before and After the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE

This study examined trends and geographic variability in dispensing of prescription psychotropic medications to U.S. youths before and after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Using national data on prescription medication dispensing, the authors performed a cross-sectional study examining the monthly percent change in psychotropic medications dispensed (total N=95,639,975) to youths (ages 5-18 years) in 2020 versus 2019, across medication classes and geographic regions.

RESULTS

For many medications, more were dispensed in March 2020 than in March 2019 and fewer in April-May 2020 versus April-May 2019. Stimulants had the largest decline: -26.4% in May 2020 versus May 2019. The magnitude of the monthly percent change varied by region.

CONCLUSIONS

Fewer psychotropic medications were dispensed to U.S. youths after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with 2019. Although some medication classes rebounded to prepandemic dispensing levels by September 2020, dispensing varied by class and region.

The MPRINT Hub Data, Model, Knowledge and Research Coordination Center: Bridging the gap in maternal-pediatric therapeutics research through data integration and pharmacometrics

Maternal and pediatric populations have historically been considered "therapeutic orphans" due to their limited inclusion in clinical trials. Physiologic changes during pregnancy and lactation and growth and maturation of children alter pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of drugs. Precision therapy in these populations requires knowledge of these effects. Efforts to enhance maternal and pediatric participation in clinical studies have increased over the past few decades. However, studies supporting precision therapeutics in these populations are often small and, in isolation, may have limited impact. Integration of data from various studies, for example through physiologically based pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PBPK/PD) modeling or bioinformatics approaches, can augment the value of data from these studies, and help identify gaps in understanding. To catalyze research in maternal and pediatric precision therapeutics, the Obstetric and Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) established the Maternal and Pediatric Precision in Therapeutics (MPRINT) Hub. Herein, we provide an overview of the status of maternal-pediatric therapeutics research and introduce the Indiana University-Ohio State University MPRINT Hub Data, Model, Knowledge and Research Coordination Center (DMKRCC), which aims to facilitate research in maternal and pediatric precision therapeutics through the integration and assessment of existing knowledge, supporting pharmacometrics and clinical trials design, development of new real-world evidence resources, educational initiatives, and building collaborations among public and private partners, including other NICHD-funded networks. By fostering use of existing data and resources, the DMKRCC will identify critical gaps in knowledge and support efforts to overcome these gaps to enhance maternal-pediatric precision therapeutics.

Applying Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic to Improve Pediatric Asthma Care

Asthma is the most common chronic childhood condition and is a risk factor for severe respiratory viral infections. Thus, early during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic there was concern that children with asthma would be at risk for severe COVID-19 illness and that asthma control could worsen as a result of the pandemic. This article seeks to summarize what was learned in the early stages of the pandemic about the impact of COVID-19 on children with asthma. We review evidence from several studies that demonstrated a significant decline in asthma morbidity in the first year of the pandemic. Additionally, we describe several potential mechanisms that may explain the reduced frequency in childhood asthma exacerbations as well as review lessons learned for future management of childhood asthma. While the COVID-19 pandemic initially brought uncertainty, it soon became clear that the pandemic had several positive effects for children with asthma. Now we can apply the lessons that were learned during the pandemic to re-examine asthma care practices as well as advocate for best approaches for asthma management.

Improvements in appropriate ambulatory antibiotic prescribing using a bundled antibiotic stewardship intervention in general pediatrics practices

OBJECTIVE

To improve appropriate antibiotic prescribing for children in Tennessee.

DESIGN

We performed a before-and-after intervention study with 3 comparison periods: period 1 (P1, baseline) May 2018-September 2019; period 2 (P2, intervention before the COVID-19 pandemic) November 11, 2019-March 20, 2020; and period 3 (P3, intervention during the coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19] pandemic) March 21, 2020-November 10, 2020. We additionally surveyed participating providers to assess acceptance of the intervention.

SETTING

Community general pediatrics practices.

PARTICIPANTS

In total, 81 general pediatricians, family medicine physicians, and nurse practitioners in 5 general pediatrics practices participated in this study.

INTERVENTIONS

Each practice identified a practice and operations champion for the project. Practices chose 2-4 implementation strategies previously shown to be effective at reducing outpatient antibiotic use to implement in their practice throughout the study intervention period. Study personnel also held quarterly meetings with all providers to review deidentified peer comparison feedback both across practices enrolled in the study and at the provider level within each practice.

RESULTS

We detected improvements in guideline-concordant antibiotic use in the pre-COVID-19 intervention period, and they were sustained in the study period during the pandemic (P3): otitis media (P1 72.14% vs P2 81.42% vs P3 86.11%), group A streptococcal pharyngitis (P1 66.13% vs P2 81.56% vs P3 80.44%), pneumonia (P1 70.6% vs P2 76.2% vs P3 100%), sinusitis (P1 76.2% vs P2 83.78% vs P3 82.86%), skin and soft-tissue infections (P1 97.18% vs P2 100% vs P3 100%).

CONCLUSIONS

Bundled implementation strategies led to significant increases in guideline-concordant antibiotic prescribing for all diagnoses. Survey results demonstrate that the bundled implementation strategies were well-accepted by providers.

Healthcare utilization in children across the care continuum during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives

Healthcare utilization decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, likely due to reduced transmission of infections and healthcare avoidance. Though various investigations have described these changing patterns in children, most have analyzed specific care settings. We compared healthcare utilization, prescriptions, and diagnosis patterns in children across the care continuum during the first year of the pandemic with preceding years.

Study design

Using national claims data, we compared enrollees under 18 years during the pre-pandemic (January 2016 –mid-March 2020) and pandemic (mid-March 2020 through March 2021) periods. The pandemic was further divided into early (mid-March through mid-June 2020) and middle (mid-June 2020 through March 2021) periods. Utilization was compared using interrupted time series.

Results

The mean number of pediatric enrollees/month was 2,519,755 in the pre-pandemic and 2,428,912 in the pandemic period. Utilization decreased across all settings in the early pandemic, with the greatest decrease (76.9%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 72.6–80.5%) seen for urgent care visits. Only well visits returned to pre-pandemic rates during the mid-pandemic. Hospitalizations decreased by 43% (95% CI 37.4–48.1) during the early pandemic and were still 26.6% (17.7–34.6) lower mid-pandemic. However, hospitalizations in non-psychiatric facilities for various mental health disorders increased substantially mid-pandemic.

Conclusion

Healthcare utilization in children dropped substantially during the first year of the pandemic, with a shift away from infectious diseases and a spike in mental health hospitalizations. These findings are important to characterize as we monitor the health of children, can be used to inform healthcare strategies during subsequent COVID-19 surges and/or future pandemics, and may help identify training gaps for pediatric trainees. Subsequent investigations should examine how changes in healthcare utilization impacted the incidence and outcomes of specific diseases.

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Outpatient Antibiotic Prescription Rates in Children and Adolescents-A Claims-Based Study in Germany

The aim of the study was to examine whether the COVID-19 pandemic had any effect on antibiotic prescription rates in children in Germany. Using the nationwide outpatient prescription data from the Statutory Health Insurance from 2010 to 2021, changes in the monthly prescriptions of systemic antibiotics dispensed to children aged 0-14 years were examined (n = 9,688,483 in 2021). Interrupted time series analysis was used to assess the effect of mitigation measures against SARS-COV-2, introduced in March and November 2020, on antibiotic prescription rates. In the pre-pandemic period, the antibiotic prescription rates displayed a linear decrease from 2010 to 2019 (mean annual decrease, -6%). In 2020, an immediate effect of mitigation measures on prescription rates was observed; in particular, the rate decreased steeply in April (RR 0.24, 95% CI: 0.14-0.41) and November 2020 (0.44, 0.27-0.73). The decrease was observed in all ages and for all antibiotic subgroups. However, this effect was temporary. Regionally, prescription rates were highly correlated between 2019 and 2020/2021. Substantial reductions in antibiotic prescription rates following the mitigation measures may indicate limited access to medical care, changes in care-seeking behavior and/or a decrease of respiratory infections. Despite an all-time low of antibiotic use, regional variations remained high and strongly correlated with pre-pandemic levels.

Dispensing anti-osteoporotic drugs changed during the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVES

Caring for osteoporosis patients has proven challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic due to repeated lockdowns in Austria. The distinct possibility of insufficient treatment regimens is therefore a matter of pressing concern. The aim of the study was to assess alterations in dispensing anti-osteoporotic drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PATIENTS/METHODS

This study was a nationwide retrospective register-based observational study which included all patients in Austria aged ≥50 who received at least one prescription for anti-osteoporotic medication between January 2016 and November 2020. Pseudonymised individual-level patients' data were obtained from social insurance authorities. Anti-osteoporotic agents were divided into: (i) oral bisphosphonates, (ii) intravenous bisphosphonates, (iii) selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), (iv) teriparatide (TPTD) and (v) denosumab (DMAB). We used interrupted time series analysis with autoregressive integrated moving average models (ARIMA) to predict drug dispensing.

RESULTS

There were 2,884,374 dispensations of anti-osteoporotic drugs to 224,598 patients between 2016 and 2020. The mean monthly prescriptions for oral bisphosphonates (-14.5 %) and SERMs (-12.9 %) decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic when compared to the non-COVID-19 period. Dispensing for intravenous bisphosphonates (1.7 %) and teriparatide (9.5 %) increased. Prescriptions for DMAB decreased during the first lock-down, however increased by 29.1 % for the total observation time. The Arima models showed that in March 2020 (beginning of the 1st COVID-19 lockdown), there was a decrease of 778 dispensings, with a further increase of 14 dispensings every month for denosumab; a decrease by 178 dispensings, with a further increase of 23 dispensings every month for zolendronic acid; a decrease by 2950 dispensings, but with a further increase of 236 dispensings every other month for ibandronate and a decrease by 1443 dispensing with a further decrease of 29 dispensings for alendronate than predicted, had the lockdown not occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

The total number of prescriptions dispensed to patients treated with anti-osteoporotic medications declined rapidly during first COVID-19 lockdown. The observed decrease of DMAB during the first lockdown rebounded in the following months. Considering the massive treatment gap for osteoporosis, and the related fracture risk, clinicians should continue treatment, even during a pandemic.

Psychotropic Prescriptions During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among U.S. Children and Adolescents Receiving Mental Health Services

Objective: Increased mental health problems among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted psychotropic medication use. This study describes trends in monthly psychotropic medications before and early in the COVID-19 pandemic among 2- to 17-year-old children and adolescents with mental health disorders. Methods: A cross-sectional study design using the 2019-2020 IQVIA™ prescription and medical commercial claims data to estimate the proportion of children and adolescents with any psychotropic prescription in the month out of all with any mental health-related medical or prescription services in the month and the year-over-year percent change. We assessed monthly proportions of youth who filled a psychotropic prescription overall and by psychotropic class, stratified by age and gender. Results: Of the 8,896,713 children and adolescents in the sample, 24.7% received psychotropic medication during the study period. The proportion of the cohort prescribed a psychotropic medication in a given month averaged 27%-28% from January 2019 to February 2020, peaked at 36.9% in April 2020, and gradually declined to 28.7% in September 2020. The largest year-over-year percent change was in April for antipsychotic (41.9%) and antidepressant (37.9%) medication, which remained higher in September 2020 compared to September 2019, particularly among ages 6 years or older and females. Conclusion: The proportion of youth with a psychotropic prescription increased at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, later returning to prepandemic levels. However, antipsychotics and antidepressants remained higher than prepandemic, highlighting the need to further understand the long-lasting effects of the pandemic on children and adolescents.

Primary Care Diagnosis and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in School-Age Children: Trends and Disparities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess rates of primary care provider (PCP) diagnosis and treatment of school-age children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with prepandemic years and to investigate disparities in care.

METHOD

We retrospectively analyzed electronic health records from all primary care visits (in-person and telehealth) of children aged 6 to 17 years seen between January 2016 and March 2021 in a community-based primary health care network (n = 77,298 patients). Study outcomes are as follows: (1) number of primary care visits, (2) number of visits with ADHD diagnosis (ADHD-related visits), (3) number of PCP prescriptions for ADHD medications, (4) number of patients with first ADHD diagnoses, and (5) number of first PCP prescriptions of ADHD medications. Interrupted time series analysis evaluated changes in rates of study outcomes during 4 quarters of the pandemic year (March 15, 2020-March 15, 2021) compared with prepandemic years (January 1, 2016-March 14, 2020). Patient demographic characteristics during prepandemic and pandemic years were compared.

RESULTS

ADHD-related visits dropped in the first quarter of the pandemic year by 33% (95% confidence interval, 22.2%-43.6%), returning to prepandemic rates in subsequent quarters. ADHD medication prescription rates remained stable throughout the pandemic year. Conversely, rates of first ADHD diagnoses and first medication prescriptions remained significantly lower than prepandemic rates. The proportion of ADHD-related visits for patients living in low-income neighborhoods was lower in the pandemic year compared with prepandemic years.

CONCLUSION

Ongoing treatment for school-age children with ADHD was maintained during the pandemic, especially in high-income families. Socioeconomic differences in ADHD-related care emphasize the need to improve access to care for all children with ADHD in the ongoing pandemic and beyond.

Caring for adolescents and young adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in primary care: seizing opportunities to address youth mental health needs

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To provide primary care providers (PCPs) with updated practical guidance around the assessment and management of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescents and young adults (AYA).

RECENT FINDINGS

Of the three different presentations of ADHD delineated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), the Predominantly Inattentive presentation is the most common among AYA. Multiple rating scales exist to assist clinicians in identifying ADHD symptoms and monitoring treatment effects. Importantly, ADHD frequently persists into adulthood with negative impacts in many life domains if left untreated. It is important for PCPs to provide support for AYA as they transition to adulthood, as treatment adherence often drops sharply at that time, and, once treatment is discontinued, it is rarely restarted. Further, clinicians should be aware of the negative psychological, behavioral, and social impacts that COVID-19 has had on AYA with ADHD.

SUMMARY

AYA with ADHD often seek care first from PCPs. However, diagnosis and management of ADHD among AYA are challenging, and many clinicians feel ill-equipped, creating concern that many youth may go undiagnosed and untreated. Despite these long-standing challenges, recent advances have opened up critical opportunities for PCPs to proactively address ADHD in primary care settings and make a profound impact on youth as they seek to realize their full potential.

[Use of antibiotics in Paediatric Primary Health Care before and during the COVID-19 pandemic]

Introduction Consumption of antibiotics is high in Spain, primarily in children. Excessive use of then contributes to the development of antimicrobial resistance. The aim of our study is to analyse the evolution of antibiotic consumption at the Primary Health Care in the paediatric population of Asturias, Spain, from 2014 to 2021, and to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on it.Methods Retrospective and observational study using data about antibacterial agents for systemic use dispensed for official prescriptions to children under 14 years in Primary Care. Antibiotic consumption is expressed as defined daily dose (DDD) per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID).Results The antibiotic consumption rate dropped from 13.9 DID in 2014 to 4.0 in 2021 (β = -1,42, p=0,002), with and inflection point in 2019. From 2019 to 2020 antibiotic use dropped by 47.1%. Antibiotic consumption remained very low from April 2020 to September 2021, and then moderately increased from October 2021. Prevalence of antibiotic use dropped from 39.9% in 2014 to 17.5% in 2021 (β = -3,64, p=0,006). Relative consumption of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid decreased, while those of amoxiciline and third-generation cephalosporins increased.Conclusions Paediatric antibiotic consumption collapsed in Asturias in 2020, coinciding with COVID-19 pandemic. Monitoring of antimicrobial usage indicators will allow to check if these changes are sustained over time.

Quality of antibiotic prescribing to children through the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic

OBJECTIVE

To describe pediatric outpatient visits and antibiotic prescribing during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

DESIGN

An observational, retrospective control study from January 2019 to October 2021.

SETTING

Outpatient clinics, including 27 family medicine clinics, 27 pediatric clinics, and 26 urgent or prompt care clinics.

PATIENTS

Children aged 0-19 years receiving care in an outpatient setting.

METHODS

Data were extracted from the electronic health record. The COVID-19 era was defined as April 1, 2020, to October 31, 2021. Virtual visits were identified by coded encounter or visit type variables. Visit diagnoses were assigned using a 3-tier classification system based on appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing and a subanalysis of respiratory visits was performed to compare changes in the COVID-19 era compared to baseline.

RESULTS

Through October 2021, we detected an overall sustained reduction of 18.2% in antibiotic prescribing to children. Disproportionate changes occurred in the percentages of antibiotic visits in respiratory visits for children by age, race or ethnicity, practice setting, and prescriber type. Virtual visits were minimal during the study period but did not result in higher rates of antibiotic visits or in-person follow-up visits.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that reductions in antibiotic prescribing have been sustained despite increases in outpatient visits. However, additional studies are warranted to better understand disproportionate rates of antibiotic visits.

Antibiotic Prescription Patterns in the Paediatric Primary Care Setting before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: An Analysis Using the AWaRe Metrics

The containment measures following COVID-19 pandemic drastically reduced airway infections, but they also limited the access of patients to healthcare services. We aimed to assess the antibiotic prescription patterns in the Italian paediatric primary care setting before and after the containment measures implementation. For this retrospective analysis, we used a population database, Pedianet, collecting data of patients aged 0–14 years enrolled with family paediatricians (FP) from March 2019 to March 2021. Antibiotic prescriptions were classified according to WHO AWaRe classification. An interrupted time series evaluating the impact of the containment measures implementation on the monthly antibiotic index, on the access to watch index, and on the amoxicillin to co-amoxiclav index stratified by diagnosis was performed. Overall, 121,304 antibiotic prescriptions were retrieved from 134 FP, for a total of 162,260 children. From March 2020, the antibiotic index dropped by more than 80% for respiratory infections. The Access to Watch trend did not change after the containment measures, reflecting the propensity to prescribe more broad-spectrum antibiotics for respiratory infections even during the pandemic. Similarly, co-amoxiclav was prescribed more often than amoxicillin alone for all the diagnoses, with a significant variation in the trend slope for upper respiratory tract infections prescriptions.

Trends and Pattern of Antibiotic Use in Children in Northern Spain, Interpreting Data about Antibiotic Consumption in Pediatric Outpatients

Monitoring of antibiotic prescription and consumption behavior is crucial. The Access, Watch, and Reserve (AWaRe) classification of antibiotics has been recently introduced in order to measure and improve patterns of antibiotic use. In this study, retrospective data about systemic antibiotic consumption (expressed in defined daily dose per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID)) in pediatric outpatients in a region in northern Spain (around 100,000 children up to 14 years old) from 2005 to 2018 were analyzed and compared with antibiotic consumption in general population in Spain. The pattern of use was analyzed by the percentage of the current AWaRe categories, the Access-to-Watch index, and the amoxicillin index. Data were calculated annually and compared into two periods. Mean antibiotic consumption in pediatric outpatients was 14.0 DID (CI 95% 13.38–14.62). It remained stable throughout the study and was lower than consumption in general population in Spain, particularly from 2016. Changes in the consumption of the main active principles have led to an improvement in the three metrics of the pattern of use. It is important to have a thorough knowledge of the methodology applied in studies about antibiotic consumption. There is a lack of an optimal standardized metric for the pediatric population.

Antimicrobial Use Fell Substantially in Japan in 2020—The COVID-19 Pandemic May Have Played a Role

This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antimicrobial use (AU) trends in Japan in 2020 and explored its potential effects on appropriate AU. Using nationwide antimicrobial sales data, we examined the annual and monthly trends in AU from 2016–2020 according to the AWaRe classification (Access and Watch categories) and administration route (oral and injectable). To analyze the possible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on AU, seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) models were used to predict AU in 2020 (based on the trends from 2016–2019) under the assumption that the pandemic did not occur. We observed a substantial reduction in AU in 2020 compared with preceding years. In addition, the reductions in AU for total antimicrobials and Watch category antimicrobials were greater than predicted regardless of administration route. These results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the observed reductions in AU, but it is also possible that the changes reflect recent efforts to improve AU. Continued AU surveillance and research are needed to optimize prescribing practices through appropriate antimicrobial stewardship.