Evaluation of Pediatric COVID-19 Screening Process in a Tertiary Hospital of Indonesia

OBJECTIVES: To identify parameters that can improve the effectiveness of COVID-19 screening in the pediatric population according to the demographic, clinical, and epidemiological characteristics of pediatric patients screened for COVID-19 at our hospital. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of suspected and confirmed pediatric patients (0–18 years old) with COVID-19 using data from the electronic medical records of Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Central Hospital from March to December 2020. RESULTS: From 1,018 data of suspected COVID-19 pediatric patients, there were 94 (9.2%) confirmed cases of COVID-19. The proportions of children with travel history (p=0.022), positive contact history (p < 0.001), fever ≥38°C (p=0.034), cough (p=0.038), and abdominal pain (p=0.022) were significantly higher in the confirmed COVID-19 group compared to the non-COVID-19 group. CONCLUSIONS: A majority of the confirmed COVID-19 pediatric patients have travel and positive contact history, along with symptoms of fever, cough, and abdominal pain. However, these are nonspecific symptoms that may also be misdiagnosed as other diseases. Improving access and turnaround time of the RT-PCR test is mandatory, as no specific screening variables have been identified.