Decision-making regarding accessing paediatric unscheduled healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed methods rapid review and thematic synthesis.

Objective: Reductions in paediatric unscheduled healthcare utilisation were seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, with concerns around their impact on children's health. The reasons for these changes are not well described. This review aims to explore the factors reported by parents that influenced their decision-making around accessing paediatric unscheduled healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design: Mixed methods rapid review and thematic synthesis based on the Enhancing Transparency of Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative research framework.

Data Sources: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, PsycEXTRA, PsycINFO, Global Health, Global Index Medicus, Dissertations and Theses Global, Google Scholar and OAISter. Studies published from January 2020 to July 2023 were included.

Eligibility Criteria For Selecting Studies: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies that assessed the perspectives of parents on decisions to access or delay or avoid accessing paediatric unscheduled healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data Extraction And Synthesis: Nvivo 14.23.0 was used to code results the of the primary studies and develop themes, following a thematic synthesis approach.

Results: Twelve studies were included, all from high-income settings, mainly in Europe. The studies were conducted across varying times and levels of COVID-19-related restrictions. The principal descriptive themes identified were (i) concerns about COVID-19 infection, (ii) balancing and navigating risks, (iii) perception of healthcare service status and conditions and (iv) perception of information and advice. These were developed into analytic themes to further describe the decision-making process.

Conclusions: Parents balanced a range of risks, concerns, advice and responsibilities when considering accessing paediatric unscheduled healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. External sources of advice and information were important; misconceptions around public health advice may reflect the multitude of information sources and the rapidly changing circumstances of the pandemic. Public health policy and planning should consider parent perspectives when developing measures to ensure equitable access to appropriate paediatric healthcare services.