Effectiveness of patient triage at the orthopedic hospital and the hygiene concept in a professional handball team in the first year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

The first severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV‑2) pandemic wave in Germany in spring 2020 challenged the largely unprepared healthcare system. A prevention concept was implemented to protect the vulnerable patient group at our orthopedic department. The patient triage during the pre-admission process included screening for symptoms and obtaining information on travel, occupation, contact and cluster (TOCC) [16]. In March 2020, all sporting events were also cancelled or postponed [12]. Mitigation strategies for sport activities were necessary to restart training and competition. For the professional handball team of the Sport Club Magdeburg (SCM), a hygiene concept including strict mitigation measures combined with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test regime was implemented. We reviewed 15,739 patient contacts in a 12-month period at orthopedic department during the SARS-CoV‑2 pandemic. This epidemiological, retrospective study presents the results of patient triage detecting cases with suspected SARS-CoV‑2 infections when entering the clinic. We also considered 2328 inpatient PCR test results and the infection rates among the medical staff. At the same period, professional athletes underwent 1428 PCR tests as a part of the hygiene concept. During the triage process, 333 cases (2.12%) with suspected SARS-CoV‑2 infections were detected at the orthopedic outpatient department. Three patients had a positive PCR test result after triage. Another four positive PCR tests were found among the inpatient group and one positive result among the medical staff. In the athletes’ cohort, none of the 1428 PCR tests was positive. Patient triage as a part of the preadmission process is an effective tool to protect the maximum-care hospital from a SARS-CoV‑2 mass outbreak. A hygiene concept with a defined PCR test regime protects a professional athlete team from SARS-CoV‑2 infections during international competition and training. GRAPHIC ABSTRACT: [Image: see text]