Battle-Tested Guidelines and Operational Protocols for Neurosurgical Practice in Times of a Pandemic: Lessons Learned from COVID-19.
Publication/Presentation Date
2-1-2021
Abstract
The COVID-19 outbreak has led to fundamental disruptions of health care and its delivery with sweeping implications for patients and physicians of all specialties, including neurosurgery. In an effort to conserve hospital resources, neurosurgical procedures were classified into tiers to determine which procedures have to be performed in a timely fashion and which ones can be temporarily suspended to aid in the hospital's reallocation of resources when equipment is scarce. These guidelines were created quickly based on little existing evidence, and thus were initially variable and required refinement. As the early wave can now be assessed in retrospect, the authors describe the lessons learned and the protocols established based on published global evidence to continue to practice neurosurgery sensibly and minimize disruptions. These operational protocols can be applied in a surge of COVID-19 or another airborne pandemic.
Volume
146
First Page
20
Last Page
25
ISSN
1878-8769
Published In/Presented At
Al Saiegh, F., Mouchtouris, N., Khanna, O., Baldassari, M., Theofanis, T., Ghosh, R., Tjoumakaris, S., Gooch, M. R., Herial, N., Zarzour, H., Romo, V., Mahla, M., Rosenwasser, R., & Jabbour, P. (2021). Battle-Tested Guidelines and Operational Protocols for Neurosurgical Practice in Times of a Pandemic: Lessons Learned from COVID-19. World neurosurgery, 146, 20–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2020.10.095
Disciplines
Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
PubMedID
33229309
Department(s)
Administration and Leadership
Document Type
Article