Elective surgeries during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: Case burden and physician shortage concerns

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on several aspects of global healthcare systems, particularly surgical services. New guidelines, resource scarcity, and an ever-increasing demand for care have posed challenges to healthcare professionals, resulting in the cancellation of many surgeries, with short and long-term consequences for surgical care and patient outcomes. As the pandemic subsides and the healthcare system attempts to reestablish a sense of normalcy, surgical recommendations and advisories will shift. These changes, combined with a growing case backlog (postponed surgeries + regularly scheduled surgeries) and a physician shortage, can have serious consequences for physician health and, as a result, surgical care. Several initiatives are already being implemented by governments to ensure a smooth transition as surgeries resume. Newer and more efficient steps aimed at providing adequate surgical care while preventing physician burnout, on the other hand, necessitate a collaborative effort from governments, national medical boards, institutions, and healthcare professionals. This perspective aims to highlight alterations in surgical recommendations over the course of the pandemic and how these changes continue to influence surgical care and patient outcomes as the pandemic begins to soften its grip.