Organizational Challenges in the Pediatric Onco-hematology Units During the First and Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Survey in Italy

Abstract This study aimed to describe and compare, at a national level, the measures implemented in the pediatric onco-hematology units and the number of infections among patients and healthcare staff during the first and second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. A multicenter, descriptive, online survey was conducted between15th March and 15th April 2020 (T1) and between 1 and 31st January 2021 (T2). All the Italian Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Association (AIEOP) centers were invited to participate in the study. Data of the pre-pandemic, first, and second phase were compared. Thirty-six of the 48 AIEOP centers completed the survey (75%). Several organizational, screening, and swab measures were implemented by AIEOP centers to prevent the SARS-CoV-2 infection among patients and visitors. During the pandemic, there was a significant reduction in the number of onco-hematology inpatient beds (p