1. Massive cutback in orthopaedic healthcare services due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Author
-
Liebensteiner, M. C., Khosravi, I., Hirschmann, M. T., Heuberer, P. R., The Board of the AGA-Society of Arthroscopy and Joint-Surgery, Heuberer, Philipp, Niemeyer, Philipp, Lill, Helmut, Lampert, Christoph, Dirisamer, Florian, Braun, Sepp, Buchhorn, Tomas, Attal, René el, Jung, Christian, Müller, Andreas Marc, Scheffler, Sven, Zellner, Johannes, Thaler, M., and Board of the AGA-Society of Arthroscopy and Joint-Surgery
- Subjects
COVID-19 pandemic ,MEDICAL care ,ORTHOPEDICS ,ARTHROPLASTY ,ROTATOR cuff ,VIRAL pneumonia ,ELECTIVE surgery ,PATIENT aftercare ,ORTHOPEDIC surgery ,INTERNET ,ARTHROSCOPY ,COVID-19 ,SURVEYS ,EPIDEMICS ,REHABILITATION - Abstract
Purpose: Due to the lack of evidence, it was the aim of the study to investigate current possible cutbacks in orthopaedic healthcare due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic (COVID-19).Methods: An online survey was performed of orthopaedic surgeons in the German-speaking Arthroscopy Society (Gesellschaft für Arthroskopie und Gelenkchirurgie, AGA). The survey consisted of 20 questions concerning four topics: four questions addressed the origin and surgical experience of the participant, 12 questions dealt with potential cutbacks in orthopaedic healthcare and 4 questions addressed the influence of the pandemic on the particular surgeon.Results: Of 4234 contacted orthopaedic surgeons, 1399 responded. Regarding arthroscopic procedures between 10 and 30% of the participants stated that these were still being performed-with actual percentages depending on the specific joint and procedure. Only 6.2% of the participants stated that elective total joint arthroplasty was still being performed at their centre. In addition, physical rehabilitation and surgeons' postoperative follow-ups were severely affected.Conclusion: Orthopaedic healthcare services in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland are suffering a drastic cutback due to COVID-19. A drastic reduction in arthroscopic procedures like rotator cuff repair and cruciate ligament reconstruction and an almost total shutdown of elective total joint arthroplasty were reported. Long-term consequences cannot be predicted yet. The described disruption in orthopaedic healthcare services has to be viewed as historic.Level Of Evidence: V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF