Background After the first case of infection with the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, in China, an outbreak rapidly spread, finally evolving into a global pandemic. The new disease was named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and by May 10, 2020, it has affected more than 4 million people worldwide and caused more than 270,000 deaths. Methods We describe the Greek experience regarding the response to COVID-19, with particular focus on 2 COVID-19 reference hospitals in the metropolitan area of Athens, the capital of Greece. Results The first case of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Greece was reported on February 26, 2020, and prompted a decisive response from the Greek government. The primary focus was containment of virus spread, considering shortage of ICU beds. A general lockdown was implemented early on, and the national Health Care System underwent massive re-structuring. Our 2 gastrointestinal (GI) centers, which provide care for more than 1500 inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, are located in hospitals that were transformed to COVID-19 reference centers. To maintain sufficient care for our patients, while also contributing to the fight against COVID-19, we undertook specific measures. These included provision of telemedicine services, electronic prescriptions and home delivery of medications, isolation of infusion units and IBD clinics in COVID-free zones of the hospitals, in addition to limiting endoscopies to emergencies only. Such practices allowed us to avoid interruption of appropriate therapies for IBD patients. In fact, within the SECURE-IBD database, there have been only 4 Greek IBD patients, to date, who have been reported as positive for SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion Timely application of preventive measures and strict compliance to guidelines limited the spread of COVID-19 in Greece and minimally impacted our IBD community, without interfering with therapeutic management.
Background Lockdown measures applied during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak caused a significant disturbance to hospital routine. We assessed trainees’ and fellowship directors’ perceptions regarding the impact of the pandemic on gastroenterology fellowship training. Methods A web-based survey was anonymously disseminated to all Greek gastroenterology fellows and fellowship program directors. Participants completed electronically a questionnaire comprised of 5 domains that assessed participants’ perception of: 1) overall impact on training; 2) impact on training in gastroenterology-specific fields (endoscopy, inflammatory bowel disease, hepatology); 3) impact on different aspects of endoscopy training; 4) impact on academic training; and 5) training perspectives for the post-pandemic era. Results A total of 77/128 fellows (60.1%) and 18/28 fellowship program directors (64.3%) responded. More fellows reported that the COVID-19 pandemic would have an adverse impact on fellowship training compared to their fellowship program directors (81.8% vs. 55.6%, P=0.038). This concern was mainly focused on endoscopy training (83.1% vs. 27.8%, P<0.001), with no difference regarding training in gastroenterology’s other specific fields. The difference was consistent for technical skills (79.2% vs. 38.9%, P=0.001), and for the performance of basic diagnostic (70.1% vs. 22.2%, P<0.001) and emergency (48.1% vs. 11.1%, P=0.004) procedures. Fellows and fellowship program directors identified the unknown timeframe of measure implementation and the postponement of scheduled endoscopic procedures as the main factors that negatively affected training. Extension of the fellowship training program was deemed the optimal option by fellows for addressing the training decrement in the post-pandemic era, while fellowship program directors favored an increase in workload. Conclusion Fellows and their fellowship program directors do not share the same concerns about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on training programs and they propose different measures to remedy its effects.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.