Yes, pediatrics hospitals are full
You may have read about the national surge in pediatric hospitalizations - and the shortage of pediatric hospital beds.
It is probably going to get worse before it gets better. This post is written NOT to make you freak out, but as a plea.
Respiratory season is just beginning
We are at the start of respiratory season, but are seeing have unseasonably high numbers of RSV, Rhinovirus, and many other respiratory viruses - and in many parts of the country, flu season has also begun.
As the weather gets cooler and we all congregate in an effort to make up for the missed social events of the past two years, the likelihood is that rates of transmission within communities will continue to go up.
As I said above, this post is written not to make you freak out. I get why our health anxiety surrounding our kids’ illnesses is at an all time high (mine included). I’ll post later this week with tips to keep your children healthy.
A community mindset
Today’s post is primarily important because it highlights why we need a shift in our thinking - a shift towards making responsible, community-facing, thoughtful decisions. As we begin to think about Thanksgiving, parties & the holiday, we need to recognize that just because your child had a mild cold when they got RSV doesn’t mean the same will be true for every child in their circle.
This is the time to remind you to be patient and KIND with each other. Obviously, our children are at school and are around each other. School exposures are unavoidable to some extent. But if you can minimize discretionary activities when your child is sick, rather than giving them a Tylenol and sending them on their way, you may make a huge difference to another family.
Our healthcare system
In many ways, our healthcare system has created this problem. Studies have shown that pediatric inpatient beds have decreased across the country - because pediatrics is not a lucrative area of medicine (PMID: 34127553).
Hospitals are short-staffed because many healthcare workers have left. Combine that with sudden high demand and you should expect longer wait times in ERs, longer hold times on phones, and more stressed personnel.
Working in healthcare is demanding - emotional, physically challenging, and especially in pediatrics, it takes a special willingness to handle stressed parents, sick children, and poor reimbursement. But pediatricians continue to slog on because pediatrics is important work, and our children deserve good care.
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