Surgical challenges and research priorities in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic: EAES membership survey
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Surgical challenges and research priorities in the era of the COVID‑19 pandemic: EAES membership survey Marco Milone1 · Francesco Maria Carrano2,3 · Emina Letić4 · Andreas Shamiyeh5 · Antonello Forgione6 · Bang Wool Eom7 · Beat P. Müller‑Stich8 · Carmen Balagué Ponz9 · Christos Kontovounisios10 · Daniel Preda11 · Dejan Ignjatovic12 · Elisa Cassinotti13 · Eugenia Yiannakopoulou14 · George Theodoropoulos15 · Gil Faria16,17 · Luca Morelli18 · Marguerite Gorter‑Stam19 · Sheraz Markar20 · Thanjakumar Arulampalam21 · Therese Velthoven22 · Stavros A. Antoniou23 · Nader K. Francis24,25 Received: 15 May 2020 / Accepted: 19 July 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Background Healthcare systems and general surgeons are being challenged by the current pandemic. The European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES) aimed to evaluate surgeons’ experiences and perspectives, to identify gaps in knowledge, to record shortcomings in resources and to register research priorities. Methods An ad hoc web-based survey of EAES members and affiliates was developed by the EAES Research Committee. The questionnaire consisted of 69 items divided into the following sections: (Ι) demographics, (II) institutional burdens and management strategies, and (III) analysis of resource, knowledge, and evidence gaps. Descriptive statistics were summarized as frequencies, medians, ranges,, and interquartile ranges, as appropriate. Results The survey took place between March 25th and April 16th with a total of 550 surgeons from 79 countries. Eighty-one percent had to postpone elective cases or suspend their practice and 35% assumed roles not related to their primary expertise. One-fourth of respondents reported having encountered abdominal pathologies in COVID-19-positive patients, most frequently acute appendicitis (47% of respondents). The effect of protective measures in surgical or endoscopic procedures on infected patients, the effect of endoscopic surgery on infected patients, and the infectivity of positive patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery were prioritized as knowledge gaps and research priorities. Conclusions Perspectives and priorities of EAES members in the era of the pandemic are hereto summarized. Research evidence is urgently needed to effectively respond to challenges arisen from the pandemic. Keywords COVID-19 · Pandemic · Laparoscopy · Surgical challenges The COVID-19 pandemic has strongly influenced healthcare systems worldwide. The rapid spread of the coronavirus required adjustment and rearrangement of healthcare services within a short period of time [1]. These changes, along with public health, social, and economic factors, have greatly affected surgical practice [2]. Surgeons were called to change their practice and assume extended roles, often not related to their primary expertise. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-020-07835-7) cont
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