Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Gastroenterology Department Activity: The Gastroenterologist's Perspective Nationwide and the Real Impact in a Portuguese Center

BACKGROUND: Several gastroenterology societies have created recommendations in order to reduce nonessential exposure to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. Our aim is to evaluate the national gastroenterologists' perspective on the impact of COVID-19 and the impact of reorganization of a gastroenterology department during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: For the first purpose, an online survey was distributed to gastroenterologists nationwide. For the second purpose, the authors conducted an analysis of some endoscopic procedures performed at the Gastroenterology Department of the Centro Hospitalar Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho (CHVNG/E) between March 16 and May 8 during the years 2019 and 2020. RESULTS: Sixty-seven gastroenterologists answered our survey. Only 14.9% were residents and 86.6% worked in a hospital with COVID-19 patients, with 16.4% assigned to assist those patients. All of the departments suffered modifications. Ninety percent of the residents affirmed that their activity had changed. Ninety-four percent declared having nonessential endoscopic procedures postponed, and 85.1% maintained in-person medical visits, 88.1% were already having remote consultations, and 11.9% did not have any clinical visit. In our gastroenterology unit, the number of endoscopic procedures decreased by 73.1% from 2019 to 2020. In 2020, the proportion of urgent procedures was higher compared to 2019. CONCLUSION: The advent of COVID-19 has led to important changes in gastroenterology activities in Portugal, and national gastroenterology units are complying with the recommendations. Furthermore, Portuguese gastroenterologists believed that the decrease in endoscopic activity can compromise residents' education and training. The gastroenterology department at CHVNG/E has shown a significant reduction in the number of endoscopic procedures.