The Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Spine Surgeons: An Asia Pacific Spine Society (APSS) Survey

Chan CYW 1 , Chiu CK 1 , Cheung JPY 2 , Cheung PWH 2 , Gani SMA 1 , Kwan MK 1

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery (NOCERAL), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur
  • 2 Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
Spine (Phila Pa 1976), 2020 Sep 15;45(18):1285-1292.
PMID: 32756270 DOI: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000003622

Abstract

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the clinical practices of spine surgeons within the Asia Pacific region.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: COVID-19 pandemic had changed spine surgeons' clinical practices and their concerns toward personal and family risk of infection.

METHODS: This cross-sectional survey was carried out from May 4, 2020 to June 4, 2020. The questionnaire was administered using REDCAP. The online questionnaire includes four sections. First section includes surgeon's demographics, background, type of clinical practice, and status of pandemic in their country. Second section includes volume and the type of spine surgery practice before the COVID pandemic. Third section includes changes of clinical practice during the pandemic and the last section was regarding their concern on COVID transmission.

RESULTS: Total of 222 respondents from 19 countries completed the questionnaire. During the pandemic, 92.3% of the respondents felt their clinical practice was affected. 58.5% respondents reported reduced outpatient clinic hours and 74.6% respondents reported reduced operation theatre hours due to the enforcement by the hospital administration. The mean reduction of clinic volume for all countries was 48.1%. There was a significant reduction in the number of surgeries performed in Japan, Malaysia, India, Philippines, and South Korea. This was due to reduced patient load. More than 60% of respondents were worried being infected by COVID-19 virus and >68% were worried of transmission to their family members.

CONCLUSION: COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the clinical and surgical practice of spine surgeons in the Asia Pacific region. Clinics were closed or the practice hours reduced. Similarly, surgical theaters were closed, reduced, or limited to semi-emergency and emergency surgeries. Spine surgeons were moderately concerned of contracting COVID-19 during their clinical practice but were extremely concerned to transmit this disease to their family members.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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