Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32890845›Full record

ArticleWorld neurosurgery2020

Neurosurgical Referral Patterns During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A United Kingdom Experience.

Nithish Jayakumar, Oliver Kennion, Alvaro Rojas Villabona, Menaka Paranathala, Damian Holliman

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in World neurosurgery, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
27citing papers in PubMed
3.3field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
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

27 citing papers in PubMed, 45 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Nithish JayakumarDepartment of Neurosurgery, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. Electronic address: nithish.jayakumar90@gmail.com.
Oliver KennionDepartment of Neurosurgery, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Alvaro Rojas VillabonaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Menaka ParanathalaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Damian HollimanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Royal Victoria Infirmary · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a severe respiratory viral illness that has spread rapidly across the world. However, the United Kingdom has been particularly affected. Evidence has suggested that stroke, cardiac, and spinal presentations decreased during the pandemic as the public avoided seeking care. The effect on neurosurgical presentations and referrals during COVID-19 is unclear. Our aim, therefore, was to describe the referral patterns to a high-volume neurosurgical department in the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic.

methodsElectronic referrals were identified from the referrals database from January 1, 2020 to May 31, 2020, inclusive, with January used as the baseline. The demographic data and referral diagnoses were captured on Excel (Microsoft, Redmond, Washington, USA). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS, version 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, USA). Differences between referral volumes were evaluated using χ

resultsA total of 2293 electronic referrals had been received during the study period. The median age was 63 years. Overall, the referrals had decreased significantly in volume during the study period [χ

conclusionsThe referrals for degenerative spine and traumatic brain injuries decreased significantly during the pandemic, which can be explained by the lower vehicular traffic and patient avoidance of healthcare services, respectively. The risk of neurological deterioration and increased morbidity and mortality, as a consequence, is of concern, and neurosurgeons worldwide should consider the optimal strategies to mitigate these risks as the pandemic eases.

Indexed as

NeurosurgeryBrain NeoplasmsCauda Equina SyndromeCOVID-19Craniocerebral TraumaFemaleHematoma, Subdural, ChronicHemorrhagic StrokeHumansHydrocephalusIschemic StrokeMaleMiddle AgedPractice Patterns, Physicians'Referral and ConsultationSpinal Cord NeoplasmsCOVID-19NeurosurgeryPandemicsPhysiciansPractice patternsReferral and consultationWorkload

Identifiers

PMID32890845
PMCPMC7467101
OpenAlexW3082621294

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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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.