Urological surgery in the COVID-19 era: Patient counselling and informed consent

Impact of COVID-19 on Outpatient Care for Urological Conditions at a University Hospital

Introduction: The 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) rapidly spread throughout the world, with diverse negative consequences in all fields, including the continuity of treatment for patients with other diseases. The public hospital for high-complexity procedures affiliated with the São José do Rio Preto School of Medicine, São Paulo, Brazil, normally has a high annual quantity of outpatient appointments. However, the consequences of COVID-19 led to a reduction in the number of appointments, exams, and outpatient procedures. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on outpatient care for individuals with urological conditions at a university hospital.

Patients and Methods: A retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted involving the analysis of all outpatient appointments for individuals with urological conditions at the Urology Clinic of the São José do Rio Preto Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil, between January 2019 (pre-pandemic period) and December 2020 (after the first year of COVID-19). The variables of interest were sex, age, and affected organs of the genitourinary system.

Results: Among the 4,972 outpatient appointments involving patients with urological conditions in 2019, 70.7% involved males and the largest portion of patients were in the seventh decade of life (40.02%). Among the 4,584 outpatient appointments in 2020, 69.9% involved males and the largest portion were in the seventh decade of life (47.07%). Significant differences were found in the number of outpatient appointments between 2019 and 2020 in all age groups (p < 0.0001). The most affected organs of the genitourinary system in both 2019 and 2020 were the prostate (46.07% and 56.31%, respectively), bladder (30.56% and 22.48%, respectively), and kidney/ureter (22.85% and 19.68%, respectively), with no significant differences between the two years.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic exerted an impact on outpatient care for individuals with urological conditions at a university hospital, leading to a reduction in the number of appointments. No change was found with regard to the sex of the patient. In contrast, an increase was found in the number of patients 60 years of age or older during the year of the pandemic. The most affected organs of the genitourinary system were the prostate, bladder, and kidney/ureter in both years analyzed.

Risk Reduction of COVID-19 Pandemic in Pakistan

This study attempt to examine the risk reduction mechanism of the COVID-19 outbreak in Pakistan. World Health Organization (WHO) declared the emergency and provided guidelines to reduce the risk of a pandemic. Thus, people tried to adopt multiple health safety measures to reduce the risk of a pandemic outbreak. Therefore, this study was designed to conduct an online survey technique to collect information from 1264 individuals in Pakistan. The rationale to select the technique was based on the pandemic situations in the country i.e. COVID-19. Moreover, it was used to main social distancing and following the health safety measures. Thus, a well-structured questionnaire was administered based on an attitudinal scale and google form was used. The inclusion criteria were defined on the questionnaire such as an independent age bracket (18-60), resident of Pakistan, using social media, and literate. The response was stopped after reaching the sample at 1264 participants. The study findings reveal that social isolation, social distancing, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) had a significant positive impact on risk reduction of COVID-19 among individuals. Moreover, hand and respiratory hygienic along with the risk of infection also significantly contributing to minimizing the pandemic outbreak.

Estudio de los resultados del contagio por COVID-19 a nivel mundial

Introducción: al cumplirse seis meses del primer contagio por coronavirus COVID-19 en el mundo, se realizó un estudio de investigación de los resultados de transmisión de la enfermedad por su distribución a nivel mundial. Objetivo: comparar si hay diferencias en los promedios de personas con contagio por COVID-19 entre los diferentes países del mundo. Materiales y métodos: se utilizó la base de datos de las personas infectadas por el COVID-19 con la información acumulada entre el 28 y 30 de junio de 2020. Se realizó a partir del análisis estadístico de los datos aplicando la ANOVA, y una prueba post hoc de Duncan, se utilizó el paquete estadístico SPSS v.25. Resultados: a partir del análisis estadístico de los datos aplicando la comparación de medias con el ANOVA, el p-valor de las pruebas, para la variable contagios es de 0,000, este es menor a α =0.05, de esta manera se rechaza Ho, es decir que para al menos uno de los promedios es diferente de los demás del resultado obtenido para los diferentes países del mundo por contagio de personas por COVID-19. Conclusiones: la mitad de los contagios del mundo se han registrado en Estados Unidos y Europa, pero está creciendo rápidamente en toda América. En América Latina el ritmo de nuevas infecciones se ha acelerado desde mediados de mayo, y está aumentando especialmente en Brasil, México y Chile, según la Organización Mundial de la Salud.