Ducournau F, Arianni M, Awwad S, Baur EM, Beaulieu JY, Bouloudhnine M, Caloia M, Chagar K, Chen Z, Chin AY, Chow EC, Cobb T, David Y, Delgado PJ, Woon Man Fok M, French R, Golubev I, Haugstvedt JR, Ichihara S, Jorquera RA, Koo SCJJ, Lee JY, Lee YK, Lee YJ, Liu B, Kaleli T, Mantovani GR, Mathoulin C, Messina JC, Muccioli C, Nazerani S, Ng CY, Obdeijn MC, Van Overstraeten L, Prasetyono TOH, Ross M, Shih JT, Smith N, Suarez R FA, Chan PT, Tiemdjo H, Wahegaonkar A, Wells MC, Wong WY, Wu F, Yang XF, Yanni D, Yao J, and Liverneaux PA
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected medical treatment protocols throughout the world. While the pandemic does not affect hand surgeons at first glance, they have a role to play. The purpose of this study was to describe the different measures that have been put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by hand surgeons throughout the world. The survey comprised 47 surgeons working in 34 countries who responded to an online questionnaire. We found that the protocols varied in terms of visitors, health professionals in the operating room, patient waiting areas, wards and emergency rooms. Based on these preliminary findings, an international consensus on hand surgery practices for the current viral pandemic, and future ones, needs to be built rapidly., (Copyright © 2020 SFCM. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)