Publication date: May 22, 2025

Children with medical complexity (CMC) are children who have a range of chronic physical, developmental, and behavioral conditions. CMC is a vulnerable population that requires special care and receives support from multidisciplinary teams. The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped healthcare practices, with long-term consequences. CMC was particularly impacted, encountering medical, behavioral, and social challenges due to disruptions in care and pandemic-related restrictions. This qualitative study aims to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the CMC care journey from a healthcare provider’s perspective. Understanding COVID-19 challenges will help refine healthcare strategies, improve patient safety, and ensure CMC care meets their unique needs. In this qualitative study, we captured views from various providers who cared for CMC during the pandemic. We conducted semi-structured interviews between May 2023 and December 2023. In total, we had 24 healthcare providers participate in the study, including 4 Hospitalists, 13 Specialists, 2 Outpatient Pediatricians, and 5 Home Nurses. Interviews were audio recorded to ensure accuracy in transcription and analysis. We used an inductive thematic analysis with a codebook approach for our coding process. As a result of inductive thematic analysis, ten primary themes emerged from the data related to CMC care challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic from the healthcare providers’ perspective. Each theme consists of a set of subthemes. Themes are clustered into three main categories: (1) Access and Continuity of Care, (2) Families, Staff, and Collaborative Care, and (3) Infection Risk and Prevention Strategies. This study highlights the challenges of caring for CMC during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on system vulnerabilities and the resilience of healthcare providers and families. It shows the need for family-centered care, better telehealth integration, and comprehensive support for providers.

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