Impact of COVID-19 on outpatient appointments in children and young people in England: an observational study.
Alex BottleFrancesca K NealeKimberley A FoleyRussell M VinerSimon E KennyPaul P AylinSonia SaxenaDougal S HargreavesPublished in: BMJ open (2022)
COVID-19 led to a dramatic fall in total outpatient appointments and a large rise in the proportion of those appointments conducted by telephone. The impact that this has had on patient outcomes is still unknown. The differential impact of COVID-19 on outpatient activity in different sociodemographic groups may also inform design of paediatric outpatient services in the post-COVID period.