The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Case Volume and Wait Times of Elective Hand Procedures: A Retrospective Chart Review Study.

ABSTRACT: Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has decreased the number of surgeries performed in North America. The purpose of this study was to compare the number of elective hand surgeries performed during the pandemic to a corresponding pre-pandemic time period and to quantify the impact to the surgical backlog in hand surgery. Methods: Patient health records for individuals who underwent surgical management of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), Dupuytren's disease (DD) or stenosing tenosynovitis (time periods: March 11, 2018 to July 1, 2019 [pre-pandemic] and March 11, 2020 to July 1, 2021 [pandemic]) were retrieved from two academic institutions. The primary outcome was number of surgeries performed in each time period. Secondary outcomes included wait times for each time period; and v

SUBMITTER: Uhlman K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11559549 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature