A prolonged wait: The impact of COVID-19 on elective surgeries in India, a prospective study

Abstract

Background: The continuing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a massive impact on healthcare systems all around the globe. There is no exception in the demographics of elective surgery also. Like any other medical professionals, surgeons and post-graduates are redirected to the management of patients with COVID-19. The purpose of this study is to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected elective surgeries, surgeon skills, and post-graduate training. Methods: This prospective study was done among 320 participants through a 15-question online cross-sectional survey sent primarily to surgeons practicing in six states of India that were most affected by the pandemic according to recent statistics and also to surgeons in other states via email or other online messaging services. Results: In our study, the following observations were made: Patient/ patient attendant dissatisfaction in a reduction in the availability of hospital beds, shortage of medical oxygen and lack of availability of surgical implants. Conclusions: All these factors showed significant p-values with statistical significance, thereby indicating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the healthcare system and healthcare delivery. The pandemic also had a significant impact on post-graduate training.