Admissions of Children and Adolescents With Deliberate Self-harm to Intensive Care During the SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak in Australia

Source:

Corrigan C, Duke G, Millar J, et al. Admissions of Children and Adolescents With Deliberate Self-harm to Intensive Care During the SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak in Australia. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(5):e2211692. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.11692

Key Points

Question  Was the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Australia associated with an increase in intensive care unit (ICU) admissions of children and adolescents with severe deliberate self-harm?

Findings  This cohort study identified 813 patients aged 12 to 17 years admitted to pediatric ICUs with deliberate self-harm over 6.5 years. Monthly admissions per million children and adolescents increased significantly at the onset of the pandemic, from 7.2 admissions in March 2020 to 11.4 admissions by August 2020.

Meaning  This study found that the coronavirus pandemic in Australia was associated with a significant increase in admissions of children and adolescents to intensive care with deliberate self-harm.