Open AccessReintroduction of elective paediatric Otolaryngology procedures in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic
Author(s) -
Jessica McGuire,
Johannes J. Fagan,
Shazia Peer
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
samj. south african medical journal/south african medical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.527
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 2078-5135
pISSN - 0256-9574
DOI - 10.7196/samj.2020.v110i7.14859
Subject(s) - medicine , pandemic , covid-19 , social distance , elective surgery , otorhinolaryngology , public health , medical emergency , family medicine , nursing , disease , surgery , infectious disease (medical specialty) , pathology , outbreak
Cancelling elective clinical consultations and surgical procedures was instrumental in assisting hospitals prepare for the COVID-19 crisis. Essential bed space was made available, and it allowed mobilisation of health workers and enforced social distancing. A shift in patient-centred ethics to public health ethics was required to provide a utilitarian approach to the crisis. However, at some point, clinicians need to start becoming patient centred again, and this needs to happen within the utilitarian framework. Children only account for 1 - 5% of confirmed COVID-19 cases, and they present with a much milder disease spectrum than adults. Consequently, paediatric units may be at the forefront of implementing reintroduction of patient-centred elective clinical and surgical procedures. The following recommendations provide a framework to do this in a way that minimises risk to patients and clinicians. They are the first paediatric guidelines in the literature to propose a strategy to reintroduce elective surgical procedures.