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Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gastroenterology Divisions in Italy: A national survey

BACKGROUND: In Italy, the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has stressed the entire healthcare system and required a huge re-organization of many Divisions, including those of Gastroenterology. AIMS: to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Gastroenterology Divisions across Italy. METHODS: All mem...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Maida, M., Sferrazza, S., Savarino, E., Ricciardiello, L., Repici, A., Morisco, F., Furnari, M., Fuccio, L., Morreale, G.C., Vitello, A., Burra, P., Marchi, S., Annibale, B., Benedetti, A., Alvaro, D., Ianiro, G.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7229963/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32425733
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dld.2020.05.017
Descripción
Sumario:BACKGROUND: In Italy, the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has stressed the entire healthcare system and required a huge re-organization of many Divisions, including those of Gastroenterology. AIMS: to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Gastroenterology Divisions across Italy. METHODS: All members of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology (SIGE) were invited to answer a web-based survey. RESULTS: Data of 121 hospitals from all 20 Italian regions were analyzed. Overall, 10.7% Gastroenterology Divisions have been converted to Covid Units. Outpatients consultations, endoscopic and ultrasound procedures were limited to urgencies and oncology indications in 85.1%, 96.2% and 72.2% of Units, respectively, and 46.7% of them suspended the screening for colorectal cancer. Moreover, 72.2% of the staff received a training for use of personal protective equipment, although 45.5% did not have sufficient devices for adequate replacement. Overall, 132 healthcare workers in 41 Gastroenterology Divisions were found to be infected. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to evaluate, at a country level, the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on Gastroenterology Divisions. Substantial changes of practice and reduction of procedures have been recorded in the entire country. The long-term impact of such modifications is difficult to estimate but potentially very risky for many digestive diseases.