COVID-19 pandemic effects on orthopaedic surgeons in British Columbia

Abstract

Background COVID-19 was declared a global emergency in the first quarter of 2020. It is has resulted in and continues in over a million deaths worldwide and halted medical systems and particularly elective surgeries worldwide. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of the initial COVID-19 pandemic months on orthopaedic surgeons in British Columbia. Methods The study surveyed (June until August 2020) 187 orthopaedic surgeons in British Columbia affiliated with the University of British Columbia or the British Columbia Orthopaedic Association using an online survey to help identify the impact of COVID-19 on patient care, work and personal life. Results Eighty-seven out of 187 (46.5%) orthopaedic surgeons participated in the online survey. All types of surgeries were completely cancelled for 23 respondents. Elective surgeries were cancelled for most respondents (in-hospital n = 38 and/or ambulatory n = 32). Trauma cases were reduced according to 35 respondents. Outpatient clinics were stopped initially and transferred in virtual clinics (telemedicine). Approximately 40% of respondents were afraid of infecting others (patients, family) and 25% admitted to drink more heavily. Ninety percent of respondents reported an income loss of > 15% (range 0–100%). Conclusion Orthopaedic surgeons and their patients have been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cancellation of surgeries has created an increased backlog of 32,400 orthopaedic surgeries in British Columbia. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has expedited the implementation of telemedicine, which will be a long-lasting benefit in providing healthcare.

The hidden impact of rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in professional, financial, and psychosocial health of Latin American orthopedic trauma surgeons

“…On average, practitioners reported 60% decrease in patient volume and 55% decrease in revenue since the beginning of the pandemic. A decrease of overall acute trauma referral rates during the COVID-19 outbreak was also reported in several other regions along the globe [28][29][30] . In most Latin America countries, where lockdown was imposed in March, 91.8% of respondents in our study reported being concerned about their financial health, with 62.7% of them having their largest source of income from private practice.…”

Telemedicine trends in orthopaedics and trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic: A bibliometric analysis and review

“…Fifty-nine articles met the inclusion criteria and were considered for the analysis. 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 The excluded thirty-four papers were editorials, letters, duplicate entries, and articles with no discussion on telemedicine even in the full text ( Figure 1 ). The monthly contributions trend of the orthopaedic telemedicine-related articles is shown in Figure 2 .…”

“…Most surveys reported widespread adoption of telemedicine as the main patient care modality. 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 Telemedicine can address the general and specialised needs of osteoporotic patients, paediatric deformities, fracture patients, and sports injuries. 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 High patient and doctor satisfaction has been recorded with telemedicine.…”

How were Wait Times for Priority Procedures in Canada Impacted during the First Six Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic?

“…For example, some procedures that were initially scheduled for the April-September 2020 period may have been rescheduled to October 2020 or later and thus not included in this analysis. Pandemic-related delays in access to preventive care, specialist consultations and presurgical testing and imaging also added to the backlog of surgeries created by cancellations during the first wave of the pandemic (CMA 2021;Duong 2021;Laing and Johnston 2021;Simon and Regan 2021).…”