COVID-19 NEWS
Kids and COVID-19
Can databasing information about COVID-19 in kids produce key insights about their care ?
In March 2020 , as positive cases were on the rise in Colorado , Drs . Abuogi and Smith-Anderson launched a study called Children and COVID-19 in Colorado ( The CCC Study ) that captures data on every patient diagnosed at Children ’ s Colorado .
“ There were lots of questions coming up from all over the hospital about what types of kids were getting infected and admitted and if there were any predictors that might signal worse disease in some kids ,” adds Dr . Smith-Anderson . “ We knew our best shot at answering those questions was with these data .”
BUILDING THE DATABASE
Before the COVID-19 pandemic , Children ’ s Hospital Colorado pediatrician Lisa Abuogi , MD , MS , and pediatric infectious disease specialist Christy Smith-Anderson , MD , MS , focused on research and clinical work related to HIV in women and children . Historically , HIV research in children has always lagged behind adults , says Dr . Abuogi . Even today , there aren ’ t as many treatment options for children .
“ And while it might be a little different with COVID-19 in that kids seem to be less affected — at least younger children — we don ’ t want kids to be left behind in COVID-19 research like they were with HIV ,” she says .
Using software called REDCap , they created a comprehensive database with fields to capture epidemiological information like race , ethnicity , age , underlying medical conditions , symptoms when diagnosed and whether the patient was admitted . Clinically , they capture a wealth of information about a hospital stay , including labs , X-ray findings , medications and outcomes .
The data are acquired through manual chart abstractions from the electronic medical record . It was initially a volunteer effort — Drs . Abuogi and Smith-Anderson along with infectious disease fellow Kelly Graff , as well as a professional research assistant and a few students and residents who offered to help with chart reviews .
6 | CHILDREN ’ S HOSPITAL COLORADO