Plans to Reactivate Gastroenterology Practices Following the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey of North American Centers.
Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol
; 18(10): 2287-2294.e1, 2020 09.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32447019
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND & AIMS:
Practices dramatically reduced endoscopy services due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because practices now are considering reintroduction of elective endoscopy, we conducted a survey of North American practices to identify reactivation barriers and strategies.METHODS:
We designed and electronically distributed a web-based survey to North American gastroenterologists consisting of 7 domains institutional demographics, impact of COVID-19 on endoscopy practice, elective endoscopy resumption plans, anesthesia modifications, personal protective equipment policies, fellowship training, and telemedicine use. Responses were stratified by practice type ambulatory surgery center (ASC) or hospital-based.RESULTS:
In total, 123 practices (55% ASC-based and 45% hospital-based) responded. At the pandemic's peak (as reported by the respondents), practices saw a 90% decrease in endoscopy volume, with most centers planning to resume elective endoscopy a median of 55 days after initial restrictions. Declining community prevalence of COVID-19, personal protective equipment availability, and preprocedure severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing availability were ranked as the 3 primary factors influencing reactivation timing. ASC-based practices were more likely to identify preprocedure testing availability as a major factor limiting elective endoscopy resumption (P = .001). Preprocedure SARS-CoV-2 testing was planned by only 49.2% of practices overall; when testing is performed and negative, 52.9% of practices will continue to use N95 masks.CONCLUSIONS:
This survey highlights barriers and variable strategies for reactivation of elective endoscopy services after the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results suggest that more widespread access to preprocedure SARS-CoV-2 tests with superior performance characteristics is needed to increase provider and patient comfort in proceeding with elective endoscopy.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Pneumonia Viral
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Infecções por Coronavirus
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Transmissão de Doença Infecciosa
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Doenças do Sistema Digestório
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Pandemias
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Equipamento de Proteção Individual
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Betacoronavirus
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Gastroenterologia
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
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Observational_studies
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Prevalence_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article