OBJECTIVES: In a previously published Delphi exercise the European Pediatric Dialysis Working Group (EPDWG) reported widely variable counteractive responses to COVID-19 during the first week of statutory public curfews in 12 European countries with case loads of 4-680 infected patients per million. To better understand these wide variations, we assessed different factors affecting countermeasure implementation rates and applied the capability, opportunity, motivation model of behaviour to describe their determinants. DESIGN: We undertook this international mixed methods study of increased depth and breadth to obtain more complete data and to better understand the resulting complex evidence. SETTING: This study was conducted in 14 paediatric nephrology centres across 12 European countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. PARTICIPANTS: The 14 participants were paediatric nephrologists and EPDWG members from 12 European centres. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 52 countermeasures clustered into eight response domains (access control, patient testing, personnel testing, personal protective equipment policy, patient cohorting, personnel cohorting, suspension of routine care, remote work) were categorised by implementation status, drivers (expert opinion, hospital regulations) and resource dependency. Governmental strictness and media attitude were independently assessed for each country and correlated with relevant countermeasure implementation factors. RESULTS: Implementation rates varied widely among response domains (median 49.5%, range 20%-71%) and centres (median 46%, range 31%-62%). Case loads were insufficient to explain response rate variability. Increasing case loads resulted in shifts from expert opinion-based to hospital regulation-based decisions to implement additional countermeasures despite increased resource dependency. Higher governmental strictness and positive media attitude towards countermeasure implementation were associated with higher implementation rates. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 countermeasure implementation by paediatric tertiary care centres did not reflect case loads but rather reflected heterogeneity of local rules and of perceived resources. These data highlight the need of ongoing reassessment of current practices, facilitating rapid change in 'institutional behavior' in response to emerging evidence of countermeasure efficacy.

• MeSH
• COVID-19 prevence a kontrola   MeSH
• dialýza ledvin MeSH
• dítě MeSH
• kontrola infekce MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• nefrologie organizace a řízení   MeSH
• pandemie * MeSH
• pediatrie organizace a řízení   MeSH
• poskytování zdravotní péče organizace a řízení   MeSH
• Check Tag
• dítě MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• multicentrická studie MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa MeSH

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 was declared a global health emergency. Since children are less than 1% of reported cases, there is limited information to develop evidence-based practice recommendations. The objective of this study was to rapidly gather expert knowledge and experience to guide the care of children with chronic kidney disease during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A four-round multi-center Delphi exercise was conducted among 13 centers in 11 European countries of the European Pediatric Dialysis Working Group (EPDWG) between March, 16th and 20th 2020. Results were analyzed using a mixed methods qualitative approach and descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Thirteen COVID-19 specific topics of particular need for guidance were identified. Main themes encompassed testing strategies and results (n = 4), changes in use of current therapeutics (n = 3), preventive measurements of transmission and management of COVID-19 (n = 3), and changes in standard clinical care (n = 3). Patterns of center-specific responses varied according to regulations and to availability of guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: As limited quantitative evidence is available in real time during the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, qualitative expert knowledge and experience represent the best evidence available. This Delphi exercise demonstrates that use of mixed methodologies embedded in an established network of experts allowed prompt analysis of pediatric nephrologists' response to COVID-19 during this fast-emerging public health crisis. Such rapid sharing of knowledge and local practices is essential to timely and optimal guidance for medical management of specific patient groups in multi-country health care systems such as those of Europe and the US.

• MeSH
• chronická renální insuficience komplikace   terapie   MeSH
• delfská metoda MeSH
• dialýza ledvin * MeSH
• dítě MeSH
• kojenec MeSH
• kontrola infekce MeSH
• koronavirové infekce komplikace   prevence a kontrola   terapie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• medicína založená na důkazech MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• pandemie prevence a kontrola   MeSH
• předškolní dítě MeSH
• virová pneumonie komplikace   prevence a kontrola   terapie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• dítě MeSH
• kojenec MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• předškolní dítě MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa MeSH