The concurrent rise of multiple viral epidemics (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus) during the 2022–2023 viral respiratory season resulted in a sudden increase in demand for pediatric inpatient beds, creating a strain on the pediatric acute care system. The severity of that season was widely reported, but the extent of the increase in hospital volume compared to prior viral seasons was less known. Having a better understanding of this may provide insights about current system capacity and aid future surge planning efforts. To quantify the extent of the viral epidemic, researchers from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and several other children’s hospitals collaborated to compare the epidemiology, resource utilization, and outcomes of the 2022–2023 viral respiratory season with prior seasons in children’s hospitals. Their study is published in the journal Pediatrics.
Key Takeaways
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Of the 38 children’s hospitals analyzed in the study, half had their highest-ever emergency department and inpatient volumes in 2022.
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Elective surgeries went down, suggesting to the researchers that hospitals had to change their day-to-day operations to cope with demand.
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The viral epidemic during 2022–2023 was longer than prior viral seasons, which means hospitals should prepare for a new reality where that can happen again, according to Kenneth Michelson, MD, MPH, an attending physician at Lurie Children’s and lead author of the study.
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The next steps in the research should be to understand how the rise of viral epidemics during the 2022–2023 viral respiratory season impacted community hospitals.
Pediatric research at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s is conducted through Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute.
Article Citation
Michelson KA, Ramgopal S, Kociolek LK, et al. Children’s Hospital Resource Utilization During the 2022 Viral Respiratory Surge. Pediatrics. Epub June 13, 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2024-065974
