Open Access

ARTICLE

Survey of COVID-19 impact on pediatric urology services

Sheila Mallenahalli¹, Matthew Fifolt², Mohan Gundeti³, Yegappan Lakshmanan⁴, Patricio Gargollo⁵, Michael C. Ost⁶, Pankaj P. Dangle⁷

1 University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
2 University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
3 The University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital and Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
4 Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA
5 Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
6 West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
7 Department of Urology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Address correspondence to: Dr. Pankaj P. Dangle, Children’s Hospital Of Alabama, 1600 7^th Avenue South, Suite 318 Lowder Building, Birmingham, AL 35233 USA

Canadian Journal of Urology 2021, 28(5), 10834-10840.

Abstract

Introduction: To better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has forced rapid operational changes in the global healthcare industry, changes implemented on an individual, institutional basis must be considered. There currently is not adequate literature about the overall impact COVID-19 has had on pediatric urology services worldwide. We believe that they have dramatically decreased during the COVID-19 crisis, but have adapted to accommodate changes. We hypothesize that patient care was widely variant due to inadequate standardized recommendations or crisis planning.
Materials and methods: A web-based survey was deployed to 377 pediatric urologists globally via email to analyze COVID-19’s impact on various types of pediatric urology practices. Key categories included impacts on elective services, telemedicine use, finances, and recovery operations. A total of 114 responses were collected between April 29^th – May 22^nd, 2020.
Results: The widespread cancellation of elective surgical procedures caused significant disturbances in the field. There was a uniform, significant increase (75%) in telemedicine use across practices. The pandemic has created many changes in care provision for physicians, institutions, and patients themselves. Furthermore, the sudden economic burden on healthcare facilities could lead to cost-cutting measures, creating further strain within institutions. Though telemedicine has its limitations, it is a very viable option when traditional services are unavailable.
Conclusions: Immediate steps should be taken to ensure that the recovery phases of pediatric urology practices are as efficient as possible. Institutions should develop task forces to develop critical workflow processes in the event of health crises, while still maintaining patient-centered care. This will be essential in maximizing appropriate care allocation.

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Keywords

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