Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on surgical practice - Part 2 (surgical prioritisation)
Ahmed Al‐Jabira b✉, Ahmed Kerwanb, Maria Nicolac, Zaid Alsafid, Mehdi Khand, Catrin Sohrabie, Niamh O’Neille, Christos Iosifidise, Michelle Griffinf, Ginimol Mathewd, Riaz Aghag
- aGKT School of Medical Education, King's College London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: ahmed@ijspg.com
- bGKT School of Medical Education, King's College London, United Kingdom
- cImperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
- dUCL Medical School, University College London, United Kingdom
- eBarts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom
- fStanford University, Palo Alto, United States
- gBarts Health NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
- ✉Corresponding author
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Abstract
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic represents a once in a century challenge to human healthcare with over 4.5 million cases and over 300,000 deaths thus far. Surgical practice has been significantly impacted with all specialties writing guidelines for how to manage during this crisis. All specialties have had to triage the urgency of their daily surgical procedures and consider non-surgical management options where possible. The Pandemic has had ramifications for ways of working, surgical techniques, open vs minimally invasive, theatre workflow, patient and staff safety, training and education. With guidelines specific to each specialty being implemented and followed, surgeons should be able to continue to provide safe and effective care to their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this comprehensive and up to date review we assess changes to working practices through the lens of each surgical specialty.