1
|
Milone M, Carrano FM, Letić E, Shamiyeh A, Forgione A, Eom BW, Müller-Stich BP, Ponz CB, Kontovounisios C, Preda D, Ignjatovic D, Cassinotti E, Yiannakopoulou E, Theodoropoulos G, Faria G, Morelli L, Gorter-Stam M, Markar S, Arulampalam T, Velthoven T, Antoniou SA, Francis NK. Surgical challenges and research priorities in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic: EAES membership survey. Surg Endosc 2020; 34:4225-4232. [PMID: 32749615 PMCID: PMC7402075 DOI: 10.1007/s00464-020-07835-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Healthcare systems and general surgeons are being challenged by the current pandemic. The European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES) aimed to evaluate surgeons' experiences and perspectives, to identify gaps in knowledge, to record shortcomings in resources and to register research priorities. METHODS An ad hoc web-based survey of EAES members and affiliates was developed by the EAES Research Committee. The questionnaire consisted of 69 items divided into the following sections: (Ι) demographics, (II) institutional burdens and management strategies, and (III) analysis of resource, knowledge, and evidence gaps. Descriptive statistics were summarized as frequencies, medians, ranges,, and interquartile ranges, as appropriate. RESULTS The survey took place between March 25th and April 16th with a total of 550 surgeons from 79 countries. Eighty-one percent had to postpone elective cases or suspend their practice and 35% assumed roles not related to their primary expertise. One-fourth of respondents reported having encountered abdominal pathologies in COVID-19-positive patients, most frequently acute appendicitis (47% of respondents). The effect of protective measures in surgical or endoscopic procedures on infected patients, the effect of endoscopic surgery on infected patients, and the infectivity of positive patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery were prioritized as knowledge gaps and research priorities. CONCLUSIONS Perspectives and priorities of EAES members in the era of the pandemic are hereto summarized. Research evidence is urgently needed to effectively respond to challenges arisen from the pandemic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Milone
- grid.4691.a0000 0001 0790 385XDepartment of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples “Federico II”, via pansini 5, Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Maria Carrano
- grid.6530.00000 0001 2300 0941Department of Applied Medical-Surgical Sciences, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy ,grid.417728.f0000 0004 1756 8807Humanitas Clinical and Research Center – IRCCS, via Manzoni 56, Rozzano, Milan Italy
| | - Emina Letić
- grid.11869.370000000121848551Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sarajevo, Čekaluša 90, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Andreas Shamiyeh
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Operative Laparoscopy and 2nd Surgical Department, Academic Teaching Hospital of Linz, Krankenhausstrasse 9, 4020 Linz, Austria
| | - Antonello Forgione
- grid.416200.1Department of Surgical Oncology and Minimally Invasive Surgery, AIMS Academy, Niguarda Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Bang Wool Eom
- grid.410914.90000 0004 0628 9810Center for Gastric Cancer, National Cancer Center, Research Institute and Hospital, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do Republic of Korea
| | - Beat P. Müller-Stich
- grid.5253.10000 0001 0328 4908Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Carmen Balagué Ponz
- grid.413396.a0000 0004 1768 8905Service of General & Digestive Surgery, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Christos Kontovounisios
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminster Campus, 369 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9NH UK
| | - Daniel Preda
- 1st Clinic of Surgery, Craiova Emergency Clinical County Hospital, Craiova, Romania
| | - Dejan Ignjatovic
- grid.411279.80000 0000 9637 455XDepartment of Digestive Surgery, Akershus University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Elisa Cassinotti
- grid.414818.00000 0004 1757 8749Maggiore Policlinico Hospital, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda, Milan, Italy
| | - Eugenia Yiannakopoulou
- grid.499377.7Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece
| | - George Theodoropoulos
- grid.5216.00000 0001 2155 0800First Department of Propaedeutic Surgery, Hippocration Hospital, Medical School of Athens University, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Gil Faria
- CINTESIS-Center for Research in Health Technologies and Information Systems, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal ,grid.413151.30000 0004 0574 5060General Surgery, Hospital de Pedro Hispano, Unidade Local de Saúde de Matosinhos, 4464-513 Senhora da Hora, Portugal
| | - Luca Morelli
- grid.5395.a0000 0004 1757 3729Department of Traslational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana/University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marguerite Gorter-Stam
- grid.16872.3a0000 0004 0435 165XDepartment of Surgery, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sheraz Markar
- grid.417895.60000 0001 0693 2181Division of Surgery, Department of Surgery & Cancer, St Mary’s Hospital – Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Thanjakumar Arulampalam
- grid.414586.a0000 0004 0399 9294Department of General Surgery, Colchester General Hospital, Colchester, UK
| | | | - Stavros A. Antoniou
- grid.440838.30000 0001 0642 7601Department of Surgery, European University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Nader K. Francis
- grid.416568.80000 0004 0398 9627Griffin Institute (Northwick Park Institute of Medical Research), Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow, HA1 3UJ UK ,grid.417353.70000 0004 0399 1233Yeovil District Hospital, Somerset, BA21 4AT UK
| |
Collapse
|