Orthopaedic Walk-In Clinics: A model to lessen the burden on Emergency Departments during the COVID-19 pandemic()

OBJECTIVE: Operating duties for orthopaedic surgeons decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, while Emergency Department (ED) cases surged. Orthopaedic Walk-In Clinics (OWICs) were implemented to manage urgent musculoskeletal cases. METHODS: OWICs, organized in three days, were staffed by one orthopa...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: MacKechnie, Madeline C., Nadeau, Molly, Deering, Ericka, Thaller, John, MacKechnie, Michael A.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Elsevier 2020
Materias:
Article
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7235590/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32476778
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jor.2020.05.014
Descripción
Sumario:OBJECTIVE: Operating duties for orthopaedic surgeons decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, while Emergency Department (ED) cases surged. Orthopaedic Walk-In Clinics (OWICs) were implemented to manage urgent musculoskeletal cases. METHODS: OWICs, organized in three days, were staffed by one orthopaedic surgeon, one triage person, three medical assistants, and a physician assistant/nurse practitioner. RESULTS: Musculoskeletal non-emergency ED referrals decreased by 40.6% (p < 0.001) after initiation of the OWICs, allowing optimal use of resources to address the COVID-19 surge. CONCLUSION: This paper describes the OWIC model and its preliminary impact. The OWICs could serve as a template for other orthopaedic departments during the pandemic.

Ejemplares similares