Nation-wide analysis of the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on daily urology
practice in Turkey
Abstract
Objective: To present a nation-wide analysis of the workload of urology
departments in Turkey week-by-week during Covid-19 pandemic.
Methodology: The centers participating in the study were divided into
three groups as tertiary referral centers, state hospitals and private
practice hospitals. The number of outpatients, inpatients, daily
interventions and urological surgeries were recorded prospectively
between 9-March-2020 and 31-May-2020. All these variables were recorded
for the same time interval of 2019 as well. The weekly change of the
workload of urology during pandemic period was evaluated; also the
workload of urology and the distributions of certain urological
surgeries were compared between the pandemic period and the same time
interval of the year 2019. Results: A total of 51 centers participated
in the study. The number of outpatients, inpatients, urological
surgeries and daily interventions were found to be dramatically
decreased by the third week of pandemics in state hospitals and tertiary
referral centers; however the daily urological practice were similar in
private practice hospitals throughout the pandemic period. When the
workload of urology in pandemic period and the same time interval of the
year 2019 were compared; a huge decrease was observed in all variables
during pandemic period. However, temporary measures like ureteral
stenting, nephrostomy placement and percutaneous cystostomy have been
found to increase during Covid-19 pandemic compared to normal life.
Conclusions: Covid-19 pandemic significantly effected the routine daily
urological practice likewise other subspecialties and priority was given
to emergent and non-deferrable surgeries by urologists in concordance
with published clinical guidelines.