Elective surgery in the time of COVID-19

Am J Surg. 2020 Jun;219(6):900-902. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2020.04.014. Epub 2020 Apr 16.

¹ Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and James Comprehensive Cancer Center, USA; National Clinician Scholars Program at the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center for Healthcare Outcomes and Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Electronic address: Adriandi@med.umich.edu.
² The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.
³ The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Columbus, OH, USA.
⁴ Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and James Comprehensive Cancer Center, USA.

Abstract

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The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a significant strain on the United States health care system.
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Healthcare workers are rapidly altering their professional responsibilities to help meet hospital needs.
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Surgeons have witnessed a dramatic change in their practices with rapidly decreasing elective surgery.
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Surgical leaders should develop a framework to help make decisions around elective surgery as information is evolving.