The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on parents' behavior toward scheduled pediatric vaccinations in Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by a newly discovered coronavirus and has resulted in a global pandemic. The World Health Organization recommended avoiding any delay or disruption of immunization services, as this could result in increases in outbreak-prone vaccine-preventable diseases. This study aimed to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on parents' behaviour towards their children's scheduled vaccinations. METHODOLOGY: This web-based cross-sectional study recruited 1,143 parents/guardians of children below six years of age living in Saudi Arabia between May 1 and May 30, 2020 via social media platforms. A self-developed online questionnaire consisting of eight items was used. Simple and multiple binary logistic regression was used to determine the factors associated with vaccine delay during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: The parents/guardians were aged 20-60 years; 82% were aged between 20 and 39 years. It was found that 26% of parents did not vaccinate their children on time according to the national immunization schedule in regular situations, and 38% of parents reported delaying vaccination due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The multiple logistic regression analysis found that having two or more children, living in Riyadh or the Western region or not vaccinating children during regular situations were associated with an increased risk of vaccine delay during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Delaying children's vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic was influenced most by living in regions with high COVID-19 prevalence and having two or more children.

Assessment of readiness of academic emergency departments in the central region of Saudi Arabia to receive a sick child.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess the readiness of general emergency departments (EDs) in academic hospitals in the central region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to manage pediatric patients using an international tool: The American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Emergency Nurses Association guidelines, which include facilities, personnel, safety, and other components. METHODS: We assessed eligible centers during multiple visits from January 2016 to May 2016 in which we inspected the EDs and conducted interviews with their respective leadership in which we independently recorded our observations. We meet afterward to reach a consensus. Four centers were eligible for enrollment out of eight. RESULTS: 437,548 patient visits were recorded in 2015 in four academic EDs served by 176 beds. 193 parameters as well as basic demographic data were evaluated. The average travel time from an academic ED to an affiliated pediatric ED was 4.2 min (standard deviation: 1.25). Only two centers had a dedicated pediatric resuscitation bed and none had a separate pediatric crash cart. Overall performance for all centers was 53% in all test parameters. Average scores were 75% for administration and staffing and 49.6% for equipment and medications. None of the centers had a weighing scale or a hypothermia monitor, and all centers neither had policies for family-centered care nor care of children during disasters. CONCLUSION: Evaluation of academic EDs in the central region of the KSA using an international tool revealed low overall scores with critical components needed for pediatric emergency care missing.