Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32687241›Full record

ReviewANZ journal of surgery2020

Surgery triage during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wendy J Babidge, David R Tivey, Joshua G Kovoor, Kristin Weidenbach, Trevor G Collinson, Peter J Hewett, Thomas J Hugh, Robert T A Padbury, Nicola M Hill, Guy J Maddern

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in ANZ journal of surgery, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Wendy J BabidgeResearch Audit and Academic Surgery, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-7063-7192
David R TiveyResearch Audit and Academic Surgery, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2213-2576
Joshua G KovoorUniversity of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-3880-3840
Kristin WeidenbachResearch Audit and Academic Surgery, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Trevor G CollinsonGeneral Surgeons Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Peter J HewettDiscipline of Surgery, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Thomas J HughNorthern Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-6690-342X
Robert T A PadburyFlinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Nicola M HillNelson-Marlborough District Health Board, New Zealand National Board, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Nelson, New Zealand.
Guy J MaddernResearch Audit and Academic Surgery, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2064-181X

Funding

Medibank Better Health Foundation
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, caused the COVID-19 global pandemic. In response, the Australian and New Zealand governments activated their respective emergency plans and hospital frameworks to deal with the potential increased demand on scarce resources. Surgical triage formed an important part of this response to protect the healthcare system's capacity to respond to COVID-19.

methodA rapid review methodology was adapted to search for all levels of evidence on triaging surgery during the current COVID-19 outbreak. Searches were limited to PubMed (inception to 10 April 2020) and supplemented with grey literature searches using the Google search engine. Further, relevant articles were also sourced through the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons COVID-19 Working Group. Recent government advice (May 2020) is also included.

resultsThis rapid review is a summary of advice from Australian, New Zealand and international speciality groups regarding triaging of surgical cases, as well as the peer-reviewed literature. The key theme across all jurisdictions was to not compromise clinical judgement and to enable individualized, ethical and patient-centred care. The topics reported on include implications of COVID-19 on surgical triage, competing demands on healthcare resources (surgery versus COVID-19 cases), and the low incidence of COVID-19 resulting in a possibility to increase surgical caseloads over time.

conclusionDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, urgent and emergency surgery must continue. A carefully staged return of elective surgery should align with a decrease in COVID-19 caseload. Combining evidence and expert opinion, schemas and recommendations have been proposed to guide this process in Australia and New Zealand.

Indexed as

BetacoronavirusPandemicsAustraliaCoronavirus InfectionsCOVID-19Disease Transmission, InfectiousElective Surgical ProceduresHumansNew ZealandPersonal Protective EquipmentPneumonia, ViralSARS-CoV-2TriageCOVID-19health resourcespersonal protective equipmentsurgerysurgical specialtiestriage

Identifiers

PMID32687241
PMCPMC7404945

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.