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Abstract
Objective: To see how COVID-19 affects the number of elective operations performed at a tertiary care facility.
Study Design: Audit Study.
Place and Duration of Study: Burn & reconstructive surgery center, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi from 1st March 2020 to 31st May 2021.
Materials and Methods: It was decided to examine the medical records of patients who were hospitalised and operated on during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021). We examined clinical data from 1 March 2017 to 31 May 2018—the period immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients with burns and plastic surgery, as well as total operations performed and procedures postponed until complete elective lists reopened, were all included in the criteria we examined.
Results: There was a significant drop in almost every metric when comparing the patients from the two time periods. The average admission was down by 51%, with the biggest drop being among cosmetic surgery patients. Elective operations had the biggest drop, by a whopping 66%. Another 564 people will have to wait until the elective lists reopen before they may be treated.
Conclusion: The Holy Family Hospital's Burn and Plastic Surgery Department saw a drop in the number of patients admitted and operated on.
Keywords: COVID-19, Hospital working, Patient load, Elective surgery.