Effects of the Pandemic on Orthopedics and Traumatology Staff From Its Beginning (March 2020) to the Post-Vaccination Stage (July 2021)
What value can a survey have?
Abstract
Introduction: On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared a global pandemic due to COVID-19 that affected orthopedic practice worldwide. To analyze the influence of COVID-19 on the employment situation of the members of the Argentine Association of Orthopedics and Traumatology (AAOT), we have conducted 3 surveys from the beginning of March 2020 to the post-vaccination stage in July 2021. The objectives were to determine differences between the relative reduction of work (outpatient clinics, surgeries) during the three phases of the pandemic: pre-peak, peak, and vaccination stage and to differentiate between the studied population, protective care, activity, tests, infection, isolation, and vaccination. Materials and Methods: Prospective survey, in three stages, to members in general, authorized by the Board of Directors, from the beginning of compulsory social isolation (R0 2.8), through the peak and post-vaccination stages. Results: We observed a low degree of participation that progressively decreased between phases. In the first survey, 6.99% had been tested; in the second, 25.29%; and after 6 months, 88.2%. The reduction of habitual activities and the incorporation of telemedicine as a new way of doctor-patient exchange was the novelty in the second part of the survey. Conclusion: Protection systems have given an acceptable percentage of reliability with a high vaccination rate among specialists. Despite the risk and fears of contagion, telemedicine has not managed to be an alternative accepted by both professionals and patients.Downloads
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