Proposal for the approach and organization of the pediatric consultations of Primary Care in the pandemic due to SARS-CoV-2 (autumn-winter 2020-2021)

The Spanish Association of Primary Care Pediatrics (AEPap), has prepared a document with proposals for the organization of primary care consultations in the next winter season, and thus be able to guarantee care for pediatric patients, with and without suspected infection by SARS-CoV-2.

This document insists on the importance that the first assessment of the patient is by telephone to guide families on the suitability of a telematic visit or a face-to-face visit and, if so, receive instructions on the area of the health center and hours of attention based on symptoms, to maintain protection and safety measures for both the patient and the health personnel.

The AEPap and the SEPEAP propose to organize two circuits in health centers, one to evaluate patients with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection and another circuit to assess the rest of the pathologies and carry out the Children's Health Program.

For this, it also urges public administrations to improve telemedicine tools to guarantee the safe exchange of information and thus be able to carry out non-face-to-face consultations to avoid infections in the health center, provide health centers with health, administrative, cleaning and medical personnel sufficient.

It is also very important that healthcare professionals have diagnostic techniques to rule out the most frequent pediatric infections in winter (rhinovirus, RSV, flu, rotavirus) and speed up the PCR result for Covid-19 and thus avoid unnecessary isolations.