Open AccessResumption of endoscopy in the Galician colorectal cancer screening programme after the COVID-19 lock down: patient safety results
Author(s) -
Isabel PeñaRey,
Raquel Almazán,
Elena Rodríguez-Camacho,
Joaquín Cubiella
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
revista española de enfermedades digestivas/revista española de enfermedades digestivas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.331
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 2340-4167
pISSN - 1130-0108
DOI - 10.17235/reed.2020.7647/2020
Subject(s) - medicine , covid-19 , endoscopy , lock (firearm) , colorectal cancer , patient safety , general surgery , cancer , surgery , virology , health care , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , engineering , mechanical engineering , outbreak , economics , economic growth
The COVID-19 pandemic meant that the population-based colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programs had to be suspended. Modifications were made to the organization in order to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission. We report the experience of the Galician CRC screening program and patient safety results. Endoscopy was suspended between 13/03/2020 and 11/05/2020. After resumption, a total of 3,310 colonoscopies were performed (1,702 positive fecal occult blood tests and 1,608 endoscopy monitoring) and no SARS-CoV-2 infections were detected in the subsequent two weeks. Thus, resumption of activity associated with population screening was safe.