Crises often drive innovation. The COVID 19 pandemic has led to the necessary postponement of much planned surgical activity with the cancellation of outpatient, diagnostic and operative work. These measures have been designed to 'flatten the curve' and delay the spread of coronavirus whilst also freeing up capacity within hospitals for patients affected with the virus. This inevitable postponement of routine activity will create challenges to health care systems when normal business resumes and in many healthcare settings, which are often already resource constrained. This will impose an additional burden on patients whose diagnoses and treatment will be delayed.
Colorectal disease : the official journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland. 2020 Mar 17 [Epub ahead of print]
Charlotte K Gunner, R Oliphant, Angus Jm Watson
Department of Surgery, Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, UK., West of Scotland Cancer Surveillance Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.