"Immediate and Long-Term Impacts of COVID-19 on Surgical Services and Patient"

Abstract

Background: In December 2019 COVID 19 originated in Wuhan, Hubei province, of China, but as of 23july 2021 >192 million cases and >4 million deaths have been reported globally. These dramatic figures have a profound, potentially long-lasting and extensive effect on the delivery of surgical services worldwide.Objective: Aimed to support surgical teams and health service by identifying key domains that should be covered in pandemic preparedness plans. Methods:The data and information is collected from various international journals and electronic media published throughout the world.Results: As regions with the highest volume of operations per capita are being hit, a large number of operations are being postponed. Patients are being deprived of surgeries, with uncertain loss of function and risk of adverse prognosis as a collateral damage by the pandemic. No major entity has enlisted the difficulties faced by general public as conditions for general surgeries are not on par with the ones required. Surgical services need a backup plan for maintaining surgical care in an ongoing or post pandemic time phase. Conclusion:A pandemic is a rapidly changing scenario, requiring reorganization and teamwork flexibility of the healthcare delivery. In future research required to study the impact of COVID-19 infection on postoperative outcomes, identifying risk stratification strategies, and determining whether prophylaxis using anti-COVID drugs and how to reduces rates of hospital-acquired COVID-19 infection.