Abstract
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: On 11 March 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a worldwide pandemic and a threat to global public health. In this paper we aim to describe the measures implemented to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH), Soweto, Johannesburg, the largest hospital in Africa with approximately 3 200 beds and about 6 760 staff members. At the time of writing this report, we have transitioned from level 5 to level 3 lockdown METHODS: We performed a literature review and drew on the experiences of previous pandemic response plans worldwide. A working group comprising all relevant disciplines was created to develop standard operating procedures in line with governmental policy RESULTS: We found that by developing a multi-phase plan, we were able to maintain service delivery to all emergent patients while protecting medical staff and patients alike. This plan also allowed coordination with other disciplines and made provision for staff from within the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery to be made available to work within other departments as and when required. The implementation of this plan had to evolve constantly, adjusting to the changes in the national lockdown level and the demands of the developing situation CONCLUSION: We hope that by sharing our plan with our colleagues domestically and abroad, we can promote discussion and improve our ability to better prepare and deal with this unprecedented healthcare scenario. In order for us to win as individuals, we must fight as a team Level of evidence: Level 5 Keywords: COVID-19, orthopaedics, plan, response, Baragwanath
Highlights
In this paper we aim to describe the measures implemented to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH), Soweto, Johannesburg
The standard operating procedure (SOP) is structured such that we would be able to provide staff members to assist in other departments that may be overrun with medical patients and require additional human resources in response to the expected overwhelming patient influx[2] while still preserving staff to provide optimal patient care for those patients requiring orthopaedic management
It is imperative to consider the possibility that surgical facilities become hampered by staff sickness, reduced supply of surgical materials, and the use of operating rooms (ORs), facilities, and even anaesthesiologists for improvised intensive care unit (ICU) ‘pods’ for patients with COVID-19.3,4
Summary
The SOP is structured such that we would be able to provide staff members to assist in other departments that may be overrun with medical patients and require additional human resources in response to the expected overwhelming patient influx[2] while still preserving staff to provide optimal patient care for those patients requiring orthopaedic management. During these exceptional times, it is imperative to consider the possibility that surgical facilities become hampered by staff sickness, reduced supply of surgical materials, and the use of operating rooms (ORs), facilities, and even anaesthesiologists for improvised intensive care unit (ICU) ‘pods’ for patients with COVID-19.3,4
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