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Perception of COVID-19 Pandemic Among IBD Clinicians and IBD Surgeons in Black Sea Region: A Cross-Sectional
Haydar Celasin1, Murat Törüner2, Sevda Aghayeva3
1Department of Surgery, Lokman Hekim University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Insights
Gastroenterologists and surgeons in the Black Sea region expressed concerns about managing inflammatory bowel disease patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regional practices and perceptions varied despite published guidelines.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology and Surgery
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic presented significant challenges for managing patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- Discrepancies exist between established guidelines and actual clinical practices for IBD patient care during the pandemic.
- Regional variations in governmental policies and local practices influenced IBD management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the fears of gastroenterologists and surgeons regarding COVID-19 in relation to IBD patients.
- To understand how IBD patients were managed medically and surgically during the pandemic in the Black Sea region.
- To identify potential regional differences in IBD care during the COVID-19 crisis.
Main Methods:
- A survey with 20 questions was distributed to 70 gastroenterology specialists and 80 general surgeons.
- Participants were primarily involved in the management of inflammatory bowel disease.
- The study focused on five countries within the Black Sea region.
Main Results:
- A significant majority (81.3%) of respondents worried about their IBD patients contracting COVID-19.
- Most respondents (80.3%) believed IBD itself, independent of medication, increased COVID-19 risk.
- Gastroenterologists generally continued IBD medications unless patients had active COVID-19; surgeons reached consensus on perioperative COVID-19 testing and surgical priorities.
Conclusions:
- Regional disparities persist in the perception of COVID-19 risks and the management of inflammatory bowel disease patients.
- Healthcare provider concerns and practices related to IBD care during the pandemic showed regional variations.
- Further research may be needed to harmonize IBD patient management strategies across different regions during infectious disease outbreaks.
Background:
Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has created an increasing challenge in managing inflammatory bowel dis- ease patients both medically and surgically. Although several international and national medical/surgical associations published guide- lines in this area, there is still a huge difference between daily practices and these guidelines, especially depending on regional practices and governmental policies. Therefore, we aimed to investigate and define gastroenterologists' and surgeons' fear of COVID-19 and how they have managed inflammatory bowel disease patients during this pandemic in the Black Sea region.
Methods:
A 20-question survey was administered to 70 gastroenterology specialists and 80 general surgeons who are mainly focused on the management of inflammatory bowel disease in 5 countries in the Black Sea region.
Results:
The majority of respondents (81.3%) mentioned that they have concerns that their inflammatory bowel disease patients were at risk of contracting COVID-19. In addition, the majority of respondents (80.3%) believed that inflammatory bowel disease itself, inde- pendent of medications, might increase the risk of contracting COVID-19. The majority of gastroenterologists told that they did not stop inflammatory bowel disease medications due to the COVID-19 pandemic unless patients had COVID-19 disease. Surgeons overwhelm- ingly reached a consensus on how to test patients for COVID-19 perioperatively and came to a conclusion on which of the patients can- not wait to be operated. Both gastroenterologists and general surgeons, usually have similar perceptions.
Conclusion:
Despite the increasing number of definitive studies, it seems that there are still regional differences in the perception of COVID-19 and inflammatory bowel disease patient care during the pandemic.
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