Survey on what COVID-19 pandemic changed in pediatric urology.

Abstract

We aimed to conduct a survey to see how the patient management of pediatric urologists has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic in daily practice and its compliance with the guidelines that aim to minimize the harm to the patient and healthcare professionals. A questionnaire was prepared to be asked to physicians via Microsoft Forms dealing with pediatric urology for this purpose, and a link was shared in social media groups of doctors managing pediatric urology patients. A total of 58 (46 males and 12 females) doctors participated in the survey. Participants stated that they made a very high rate of change in their clinical routine; the most preferred approach for the prevention in the operating room was reducing the number of the working staff, and the second most frequent was performing a preoperative COVID-19 screening. Elective surgeries (ie, inguinoscrotal pathologies) were delayed by the majority. However, the majority of the surgeons did not delay surgeries for ureteropelvic junction obstruction or urinary stones. Ninety-five percent of the participants stated that the number of patients was decreased in the outpatient clinics, which was mainly due to the hospital and government policies. The most used method to communicate with patients during the pandemic was phone calls, and there was a 52% increase in the WhatsApp messenger application before the pandemic. Our survey provided us with an opinion about how our colleagues' lives changed during the pandemic and showed us the importance of a well-established telemedicine system.