Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on orthopaedic and traumatological care in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has significantly affected society, especially healthcare systems worldwide. The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on orthopaedic and trauma healthcare at the largest university hospital in the Czech Republic. The evaluated periods were in accordance with three waves of the disease and three respective lockdowns. To correlate the results, we evaluated the number of patients (inpatients and outpatients) treated in the same period in the last 3 years before the pandemic. The number of orthopaedic outpatients during the lockdown period decreased by 54.12% (p = 0.002), 42.88% (p <0.001), and 34.53% (p = 0.03) in the first, second, and third lockdowns, respectively. The number of elective surgeries decreased by 69.01% (p <0.001), 87.57% (p <0.001), and 74.89% (p = 0.007) and the number of acute surgeries decreased by 33.15% (p = 0.002), 37.46% (p <0.001), and 27.24% (p = 0.034) in the first, second, and third lockdowns, respectively. This study showed a significant reduction in the healthcare of orthopaedic and trauma patients owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasised the shortcomings of the healthcare system. In our study, there was a reduction in both outpatient (reduction of care by 24–54%) and inpatient care. The elective surgeries were reduced by 69–87% during different lockdown periods compared with the reference period. Based on the results of this study, we can formulate organisational measures to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on orthopaedic healthcare. Organisational procedures created based on acquired data and experience should maximise the bed capacity of the workplace and work efficiency with regard to the safety of medical staff.

Patient-Perceived Quality Assessment in Orthopedics and Traumatology Departments during COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Patients may have faced lengthier appointment wait times, delayed responses to requests, or rushed sessions with their healthcare professionals. Furthermore, healthcare personnel under substantial stress may have been less attentive or compassionate towards patients, thus influencing patient satisfaction and perceptions of treatment quality [26][27][28][29].…”

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Characteristics of Inpatients at the Orthopaedics and Traumatology Clinic in a Secondary Care Public Hospital in Turkey

“…Another study conducted in Czechia showed that there was a significant decrease in healthcare services for orthopaedics and trauma patients due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the same study, three different quarantine periods were compared with the same periods of three years before the pandemic, and the rates of orthopaedic outpatient clinic admissions were found to have decreased by 54.12%, 42.88% and 34.53%, in the first, second, and third lockdowns, respectively, and likewise, the number of elective surgeries had decreased by 69.01%, 87.57% and 74.89%, and the number of emergency surgeries by 33.15%, 37.46% and 27.24%, respectively [ 12 ]. In our study, the number of patients who were admitted to the outpatient clinic during the pandemic was found to have decreased by 40.29%, the number of patients admitted to the emergency service by 19.72%, and the number of patients undergoing operations by 35.37% (emergency surgeries decreased by 28.90% and elective surgeries by 37.72%).…”