Impact of COVID-19 on the Practice of Otorhinolaryngology in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The 2019 novel corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic broke out in Wuhan, Hubei province in China in December 2019. Available research so far showed that Otolaryngologists had an elevated risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 due to the high viral load in the respiratory tract, which is the primary area of examination and instrumentation. We aimed to present our findings on the impact of this pandemic on Otolaryngology practice in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted online in September, 2020 amongst otolaryngologists in secondary and tertiary health centers across Nigeria using the survey monkey. Analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Results: A total of 102 ORL practitioners in Nigeria were assessed in this study. The mean age of the respondents was 42.4 ± 7.9 years; majority (54.9%) were Consultants and their duration of ORL practice ranged between 1 -37 years. All the respondents felt being an ENT Surgeon exposes them to higher risk of contracting COVID-19 in their practice while 93% of them felt unsafe to perform throat examination during COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, 74.5% feel unsafe to perform rhinoscopy while 67.7% of the respondents feel unsafe to do anterior rhinoscopy, posterior rhinoscopy and rigid nasal endoscopy. Conclusion: Otolaryngologist is at high risk of being infected with SARS COV-2 as they cope with upper respiratory tract during diagnosis, clinical review, sampling and surgery. The pandemic has affected almost all aspects of Otolaryngologic practice in Nigeria.

Trend in the admissions of patients with non-COVID-19 respiratory symptoms during COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on hospital finances in Surabaya, Indonesia

“…Globally, there has been a significant reduction in respiratory illness hospitalisation rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fear of patients and their families infected with COVID-19 in hospitals and fear of doctors exposing COVID-19 during procedures in the airways leads to increased delays in diagnosis, resulting in a more complex and severe disease [ 11 , 12 ]. The fear of being exposed to COVID-19 in hospitals influences the perceived need for hospitalisation [ 7 , 13 , 14 ].…”