Milder impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the practice of orthopaedic surgery in Greece and Cyprus than other European countries.

Autor: Kalogeropoulos A; Orthopädie Und Traumatologie, Sonnenhofspital, Buchserstrasse 30, 3006, Bern, Switzerland. athanasios.kalogeropoulos@gmail.com., Savvidou OD; 1st Department of Orthopedic Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ATTIKON' University General Hospital, Athens, Greece., Bissias C; Athens Naval Hospital, Athens, Greece., Sarafis P; Department of Nursing, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece., Savvidis M; 424 General Military and Training Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece., Tanos A; 'Hippocrates' Private Hospital, Egkomi, Cyprus., Pikoulis E; 3rd Department of General Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ATTIKON' University General Hospital, Athens, Greece., Papagelopoulos PJ; 1st Department of Orthopedic Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ATTIKON' University General Hospital, Athens, Greece., Exadaktylos A; Universitäres Notfallzentrum, Inselspital, Universitätsspital Bern, Bern, Switzerland., Eggli S; Orthopädie Und Traumatologie, Sonnenhofspital, Buchserstrasse 30, 3006, Bern, Switzerland.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA [Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc] 2023 Jan; Vol. 31 (1), pp. 110-120. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Sep 16.
DOI: 10.1007/s00167-022-07159-0
Abstrakt: Purpose: The aim of this study was to highlight the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the practice of orthopaedics in Greece and Cyprus.
Methods: The survey used the online questionnaire from AGA (Gesellschaft für Arthroskopie und Gelenkchirurgie; Society for Arthroscopy and Joint Surgery) to facilitate the comparison between different European countries. The questionnaire was distributed online to members of the HAOST (Hellenic Association of Orthopaedic Surgery and Trauma), the ΟΤΑΜΑΤ (Orthopaedic and Trauma Association of Macedonia and Thrace) and the CAOST (Cypriot Association of Orthopaedic Surgery and Trauma). The questionnaire consisted of 29 questions, which included demographic data, questions on the impact of the pandemic on the practice of orthopaedic surgery and questions on the impact on the personal and family life of orthopaedic surgeons.
Results: The questionnaire was sent to 1350 orthopaedic surgeons in Greece and Cyprus, 303 of whom responded (response rate 22.44%). 11.2% of the participants reported cancellation of overall orthopaedic procedures. According to 35.6-49.8% of the participants, arthroscopic procedures were continued. As regards elective primary arthroplasties, 35.3% of the participants reported that these continued to be performed at their hospitals. Post-operative follow-ups as well as physiotherapy were affected by the pandemic, and changes were also observed in the habits of orthopaedic surgeons in their personal and family lives.
Conclusion: The orthopaedic service in Greece and Cyprus decreased during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Arthroscopic procedures and total joint replacements decreased significantly, but not to the same extent as in other countries. Health systems were not fully prepared for the first wave of the pandemic and the various countries took social measures at different times and to different extents. Thus, studying the impact of the pandemic on the practice of orthopaedic surgery in different countries can help health systems to better prepare for future pandemics; public health can then be shielded and hospitals can continue to provide high-quality orthopaedic care.
Level of Evidence: Level V.
(© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery, Arthroscopy (ESSKA).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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