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The Early Impact of COVID-19 on Urological Service Provision
A Jain1, S M Croghan1, C Kelly1
1University Hospital Waterford, Waterford, Ireland.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic reduced urological care admissions and procedures in an Irish hospital. However, emergency cases remained stable, and virtual clinics increased outpatient consultations.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Healthcare Management
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic presented significant challenges to healthcare systems globally.
- Urological care delivery faced unprecedented disruptions.
- Adapting services was crucial for maintaining patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on urological care at an Irish university hospital.
- To compare urological activity during the pandemic with the previous year.
- To identify changes in service delivery and patient attendance.
Main Methods:
- Prospective data collection on urological activity for 3 months from March 2020.
- Retrospective data review for the same period in 2019 as a control.
- Analysis of admissions, procedures, theatre cases, and outpatient consultations.
Main Results:
- Urological admissions decreased by 23.1% (356 in 2020 vs. 463 in 2019).
- Flexible cystoscopies decreased by 21.7% (162 vs. 207).
- Outpatient consultations increased due to virtual clinics (559 vs. 439), but patient cancellations/no-shows also rose (490 vs. 335).
- Emergency caseload remained stable, and trainee-performed cases were preserved.
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 pandemic created obstacles for urological care delivery in Ireland.
- Urgent and emergent urological cases continued, requiring flexible service adaptation.
- Ongoing resourcefulness is essential to mitigate the impact on patients with time-sensitive urological conditions.
Abstract:
Aim COVID-19 has posed an unprecedented challenge to healthcare systems. We aimed to observe the impact on urological care delivery in an Irish university hospital. Methods Data on urological activity was prospectively collected for 3 months from March 2020. A retrospective review of the same period in 2019 was performed for control data. Results Over the 2020 study period, 356 urological admissions were recorded; a 23.1% decrease from the 2019 corresponding period(n=463). A 21.7% decrease in flexible cystoscopies was seen (162 versus 207). 125 theatre cases (36 off-site) were performed in the 2020 period, versus 151 in 2019. Emergency case load remained stable, with 69 cases in the 2020 period. The percentage of trainee-performed cases was preserved. COVID-era outpatient activity increased, to involve 559 clinic consultations compared to 439 the preceding year; a reflection of annual growth in service demand and facilitated by virtual clinic application (n=403). There were 490 instances of patients cancelling/failing to attend outpatient appointments, compared to 335 in 2019. Conclusion The Irish COVID-19 outbreak has created obstacles for urological care. Nonetheless, urgent/emergent urological cases persist. Our unit has managed this to-date with flexible adaptation of service delivery. The global challenge posed by COVID-19 will demand ongoing resourcefulness to minimise impact on patients with time-sensitive urological conditions.
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