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Have General Surgery Practices Decreased During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Halit Batuhan Demir1, Ebubekir Korucuk1, Almir Miftari1
1Department of General Surgery, Ege University, İzmir, TUR.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced the number of elective surgeries, including gastrointestinal, hernia, gallbladder, and kidney transplant procedures. Healthcare systems need to implement precautions to restore pre-pandemic surgical volumes.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Oncology
- Transplant Surgery
- Gastrointestinal Surgery
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread disruptions in global health services.
- Restrictions and service interruptions caused a notable decline in surgical procedures performed worldwide.
- Patient admission limitations further exacerbated the reduction in surgical clinic operations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volume of specific elective surgeries.
- To compare surgical procedure numbers during pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods.
- To analyze trends in upper gastrointestinal, abdominal wall hernia, gallbladder, and kidney transplantation surgeries.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of surgical procedures performed between September 2018 and September 2021.
- Inclusion of elective surgeries: upper gastrointestinal, abdominal wall hernia, gallbladder, and kidney transplantation.
- Comparison of surgical case volumes in the pre-pandemic versus the pandemic period.
Main Results:
- A statistically significant decrease in the overall number of surgeries was observed post-pandemic.
- Specific elective surgical procedures, including gastrointestinal and transplant surgeries, experienced a marked reduction.
- The data indicates a substantial interruption in routine surgical care delivery.
Conclusions:
- Healthcare institutions and ministries must enhance safety protocols to protect patients and staff.
- Improved hospital planning and resource management are crucial for resuming pre-pandemic surgical capacities.
- Increased surgical practice and protective measures are recommended to restore healthcare services to previous levels.
Abstract:
Background As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic started, some restrictions were imposed throughout the country. The pandemic caused disruption, reduction, and even a halt in health services worldwide. During this period, the number of procedures performed in surgical clinics decreased due to the interruption of services and the restriction in patient admissions. Methodology In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of the pandemic on the number of surgeries performed in our clinic during the pre- and post-pandemic period by evaluating the following elective surgeries conducted between September 2018 and September 2021: upper gastrointestinal system, abdominal wall hernia, gallbladder surgeries, and kidney transplantation. Results A significant decrease was observed in the number of operations before and after the pandemic in our clinic. Conclusions In our opinion, both the Ministry of Health and healthcare institutions should increase the necessary precautions, organize the planning and programming in hospitals, and increase efforts in protecting healthcare workers and patients by increasing surgical practices and ensuring that the healthcare services we provide reach the numbers noted during the pre-pandemic period.
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