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Review
. 2022 Feb 1;35(1):7-11.
doi: 10.1097/BSD.0000000000001261.

The Impact of COVID-19 and Lockdown on Spinal Services at a National Level: Lessons Learned and Areas of Service Improvement for Future Health Care Delivery

Fiachra R Power  1 , Adham Juhdi, Maria Macken, Keith A Synnott, Joseph S Butler
Affiliations
Review

The Impact of COVID-19 and Lockdown on Spinal Services at a National Level: Lessons Learned and Areas of Service Improvement for Future Health Care Delivery

Fiachra R Power et al. Clin Spine Surg. .

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the provision of health care worldwide. The delivery of national spinal service for emergent surgery, elective surgery, and outpatient assessment has been incredibly challenging. A variety of innovative measures were undertaken to facilitate the safe provision of acute service and are outlined in this review, along with a number of key learning points which will improve the quality of health care delivered over the coming years. The challenges facing the spinal surgery community with regard the reintroduction of elective surgery is discussed, and a potential roadmap for the safe resumption of services is presented.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
New confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the Republic of Ireland as of May 15, 2020. HSE indicates Health Service Executive.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
National Spinal Injuries Unit (NSIU) portal referrals February 18–May 12 (2019 vs. 2020).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
National Spinal Injuries Unit (NSIU) surgical cases February 18–May 12 (2019 vs. 2020).
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Authors suggested a roadmap for graded return of elective spinal surgery. *Exceptions allowable on case-by-case series. COVID-19 indicates coronavirus disease 2019; PPE, personal protective equipment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Health Service Executive. COVID-19 updates. 2020. Available at: www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/covid-19-daily.... Accessed May 16, 2020.
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