COVID-19 Era - Adapting treatment and education in the Orthopedics and Traumatology Department - review

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a pandemic-level health disaster with more than 220 million verified cases and more than 4.6 million confirmed fatalities globally as of September 2021. Since its initial detection in 2019, the virus has spread rapidly around the world. In many parts of the world, the present status of health systems has resulted in a decline in elective procedures.

Physician shortages have been clearly reported in nations that have previously been infected with the virus. Experienced and young physicians were similarly recruited to work on the front lines in medical wards and intensive care units outside of their specializations. As a result, hospitals have made significant modifications to their care systems, such as updating general wards to include ICU capabilities, postponing, and canceling elective procedures, and rethinking the duties of healthcare personnel.

Residents and fellows in training in orthopedic surgery have not been immune to these developments. As a result of many hospitals discontinuing elective procedures, orthopedic case volume has decreased significantly. Numerous educational activities must be implemented to provide workers with the knowledge and skills essential to protect themselves and their families from infection and to care for COVID-19 patients.