Equity in the recovery of elective and oncological surgery volumes after the COVID-19 lockdown: a multicentre cohort study in Italy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and still has, a profound impact on national health systems, altering trajectories of care and exacerbating existing inequalities in health. Postponement of surgeries and cancellation of elective surgical procedures have been reported worldwide. In Italy, the lock-down measures following the COVID-19 pandemic caused cancellations of surgical procedures and important backlogs; little is known about potential social inequalities in the recovery process that occurred during the post-lockdown period. This study aims at evaluating whether all population social strata benefited equally from the surgical volumes' recovery in four large Italian regions.

Methods

This multicentre cohort study covers a population of approximately 11 million peo

SUBMITTER: Di Girolamo C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10943780 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature