Department of Neurosurgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India.
Department of Neurosurgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa, India.
Neurol India. 2020 May-Jun;68(3):595-602. doi: 10.4103/0028-3886.289004.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented challenge for medical professionals throughout the world to tackle the rapidly changing scenario. The objective of this survey was to analyze the change in neurosurgical practice in India following the COVID-19 outbreak and assess its impact on practising neurosurgeons.
Between May 7 and 23, 2020, a validated questionnaire was circulated amongst practising neurosurgeons across the country by social media and e-mails, regarding changes in the patterns of patients seen, adaptations made in their practice, effect on surgeries performed, financial burden, and impact on their personal lives. The responses were kept anonymous and were analyzed for correlations between the changes observed and independent factors such as hospital affiliations, teaching professions, and neurosurgical experience.
Our survey showed a drastic fall in the number of neurosurgical patients seen in the outpatient department (OPD) as well as the number of surgeries performed. A drop of 76.25% was seen in OPD patients (P = 0.000) and that of 70.59% in surgeries performed (P = 0.000). There was no uniformity among the neurosurgeons in the number of COVID-19 tests being done before elective/emergency surgery and in the use of protective gear while examining patients. Private practitioners were more affected financially as compared to those in the government sector. The pandemic has affected the research work of 53.23% of all respondents, with those in the teaching profession (70.96%) more affected than those in the non-teaching profession (24.67%).
Evidence-based policies, screening COVID-19 tests with better sensitivity, and better-quality personal protective equipment kits in adequate numbers are required to protect our medical professionals from COVID-19. Mental health issues among neurosurgeons may also be an issue, this being a high risk speciality and should be closely watched for.
COVID-19 大流行给全世界的医疗专业人员带来了前所未有的挑战，需要应对迅速变化的局面。本调查的目的是分析 COVID-19 爆发后印度神经外科实践的变化，并评估其对执业神经外科医生的影响。
2020 年 5 月 7 日至 23 日，通过社交媒体和电子邮件向全国的执业神经外科医生分发了一份经过验证的问卷，内容涉及就诊患者模式的变化、实践中的适应措施、手术效果、经济负担以及对个人生活的影响。答复是匿名的，并对观察到的变化与医院隶属关系、教学职业和神经外科经验等独立因素之间的相关性进行了分析。
我们的调查显示，神经外科门诊（OPD）就诊患者和手术数量均大幅下降。OPD 患者减少了 76.25%（P = 0.000），手术减少了 70.59%（P = 0.000）。在进行择期/急诊手术前进行 COVID-19 检测的次数以及在检查患者时使用防护装备方面，神经外科医生之间没有统一标准。与政府部门的从业者相比，私人从业者受到的经济影响更大。大流行影响了所有受访者的 53.23%的研究工作，其中从事教学工作的人（70.96%）比非教学工作的人（24.67%）受到的影响更大。
需要制定基于证据的政策，使用具有更高灵敏度的 COVID-19 检测，以及提供足够数量和高质量的个人防护装备包，以保护我们的医疗专业人员免受 COVID-19 的侵害。神经外科医生的心理健康问题也可能是一个问题，因为这是一个高风险的专业，应该密切关注。
