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Elmohamady B, Omar M, El-Dakhakhny AS, Sayedahmed K, Ghazwani Y, Bin Hamri S, Alkhayal A, Alrabeeah K, Kamal W, Abbasy M, Farahat Y, Noureldin YA. Effects of first year COVID-19 pandemic on urology practice in three major Arab Countries: Sub-Analysis of a survey by Arab association of urology research group. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0293458. [PMID: 38236912 PMCID: PMC10796057 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic on March 11, 2020. The health care system faced tremendous challenges in providing ethical and high-quality care. The impact of COVID-19 on urological practices varied widely worldwide, including in Arab countries. This study aimed to compare the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on urology practice in Egypt, the KSA, and the UAE during the first year of the pandemic. METHODS This sub-analysis assessed the demographics and COVID-19's effects on urological practice in terms of adjustments to hospital policy, including outpatient consultations, the management of elective and urgent surgical cases, and the continuation of education across the three countries. The availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and urologists' emotional, physical, and verbal intimidation during COVID-19 were also compared. RESULTS Regarding the impact on hospital policy, consultations replaced by telemedicine were significantly higher in the KSA (36.15%), followed by the UAE (33.3%), then Egypt (10.4%) (P = 0.008). Elective cases requiring ICU admission were 65.1% in Egypt, 45.2% in the KSA, and 58.2% in the UAE and were performed only in high-risk patients. PPE was freely available in 20.8% of the Egyptian hospitals compared to 83.3% in the KSA and 81.8% in the UAE. Online courses were significantly higher in Egypt (70.8%), followed by the UAE (53%) and the KSA (41.7%) (P = 0.02). Emotional intimidation was higher than verbal intimidation, representing 80%, 75.9%, and 76% in the UAE, KSA, and Egypt, respectively. CONCLUSION This sub-analysis outlined significant hospital policy changes across the three Arab countries. Exposure to emotional, verbal, and physical intimidation was observed. The development of teleconsultations and online platforms for educational purposes was observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basheer Elmohamady
- Department of Urology, Benha Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Omar
- Department of Urology, Menoufiya University Hospital, Menoufiya, Egypt
| | - Amr S. El-Dakhakhny
- Department of Urology, Benha Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha, Egypt
| | - Khalid Sayedahmed
- Department of Urology, Menoufiya University Hospital, Menoufiya, Egypt
| | - Yahia Ghazwani
- College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, KSA
- Division of Urology, King Abdulaziz Medical City, MNGHA, Riyadh, KSA
| | - Saeed Bin Hamri
- College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, KSA
- Division of Urology, King Abdulaziz Medical City, MNGHA, Riyadh, KSA
| | - Abdullah Alkhayal
- College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, KSA
- Division of Urology, King Abdulaziz Medical City, MNGHA, Riyadh, KSA
| | - Khalid Alrabeeah
- College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, KSA
- Division of Urology, King Abdulaziz Medical City, MNGHA, Riyadh, KSA
| | - Wissam Kamal
- Department of Urology, King Fahd Hospital, Jeddah, KSA
| | - Mohamed Abbasy
- Emergency Medicine Department, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yasser Farahat
- Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
- Urology Department, Sheikh Khalifa General Hospital, Umm Al Quwain, UAE
| | - Yasser A. Noureldin
- Department of Urology, Benha Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha, Egypt
- Division of Urology, King Abdulaziz Medical City, MNGHA, Riyadh, KSA
- Urology Department, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
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