Cellular pathology practice in the era of COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdowns - Experience from a tertiary hospital: A retrospective observational study
| Autor: | Samir Al Bashir, Sohaib M Al-Khatib, Ismail Matalka, Shaden Abu Baker, Mohammed Alorjani, Mohammad Alqudah |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Cellular pathology
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) business.industry COVID-19 Digital pathology Retrospective cohort study General Medicine University hospital medicine.disease Coronavirus 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis Lockdown Health care Pandemic Medicine Infection control Cross-sectional Study 030211 gastroenterology & hepatology Surgery Medical emergency business |
| Zdroj: | Annals of Medicine and Surgery |
| ISSN: | 2049-0801 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.amsu.2021.02.001 |
| Popis: | Background The COVID-19 pandemic had many implications on healthcare services, including cellular pathology. The pandemic-related lockdown was applied in Jordan from March to May 2020. King Abdullah University Hospital (KAUH) was chosen to provide care for COVID-19 patients during that period. Since there was no experience in dealing with COVID-19 patients, the hospital maintained some essential services but canceled elective surgeries and procedures. The rationale was to prioritize care for COVID-19 patients and to provide better adherence to infection control policies and protect non-infected patients and healthcare workers. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on cellular pathology practice patterns at KAUH. Methods This is a retrospective observational study conducted at KAUH. All cellular pathology reports during the 2020 national lockdown were retrieved. The total numbers of specimens including types and procedures were recorded. Data were compared with the corresponding data in 2019 when there was no pandemic and when hospital and laboratory services were run in full capacity. Results 2020 lockdown period showed a 57.9% reduction in the total number of specimens received at the cellular pathology laboratory as compared to the corresponding period of 2019 (1400 versus 3322). Emergency procedures have represented 99.1% of the service during the lockdown with a remarkable diversity shift. Conclusion There was a significant drop in the number of specimens dealt with at KAUH cellular pathology laboratory during the COVID-19 pandemic-related national lockdown. We learned from this pandemic how to adapt to such circumstances by adjusting our way of working to reach the best level of staff safety while maintaining highly productive work. Implementing digital pathology platforms, working from home strategies and alternative training methodologies have emerged as an essential need. Highlights • COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdown had a major influence on healthcare services. • Pathology services and training of residents were influenced by the lockdown, too. • The pandemic taught us how to adapt to such circumstances by adjusting way of working. • Digital pathology platforms and strategies to work from home emerged as essential needs. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|