Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33890300›Full record

ArticleThe Australian & New Zealand journal of obstetrics & gynaecology2021

Gynaecological and IVF procedures billed through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anais Alonso, Rebecca Deans, Erin Nesbitt-Hawes, Anusch Yazdani, Lalla McCormack, Yi Ying Koh, Jason Abbott

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The Australian & New Zealand journal of obstetrics & gynaecology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 43% 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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Before the Burn: Predicting Endometrial Ablation Failure.The Australian & New Zealand journal of obstetrics & gynaecology · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
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

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Anais AlonsoSchool of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-1307-9101
Rebecca DeansSchool of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-7932-550X
Erin Nesbitt-HawesSchool of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Anusch YazdaniSchool of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Lalla McCormackSchool of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Yi Ying KohSchool of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Jason AbbottSchool of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-4406-3121
Royal Hospital for Women · AUThe University of Queensland · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, restrictions to elective surgeries were implemented nationwide.

aimsTo investigate the response to these restrictions in elective gynaecological and In vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedures during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND

methodsWe analysed the Medicare Item Reports for the number of elective gynaecological (labioplasty, vulvoplasty; prolapse and continence; operative hysteroscopy; hysterectomy; fertility) and IVF procedures claimed in Australia between January-June 2020 and compared these to January-June 2019.

resultsThe number of included gynaecological and IVF procedures performed in January-June 2020 decreased by -13.71% and -12.56%, respectively, compared to January-June 2019. The greatest reductions were in May 2020 (gynaecology -43.71%; IVF -51.63% compared to May 2019), while April 2020 reported decreases of -37.69% and -31.42% in gynaecological and IVF procedures, respectively. In April 2020, 1963 IVF cycle initiations (-45.20% compared to April 2019), 2453 oocyte retrievals (-26.99%) and 3136 embryo transfers (-22.95%) were billed. The procedures with greatest paired monthly decrease were prolapse and continence surgeries in April (676 procedures; -51.85%) and May 2020 (704 procedures; -60.05%), and oocyte retrievals in May 2020 (1637 procedures; -56.70%).

conclusionsWhile we observed a decrease in procedural volumes, elective gynaecological and IVF procedures continued in considerable numbers during the restricted timeframes. In the event of future overwhelming biological threat, careful consideration must be given to more effective measures of limiting access for non-emergency procedures to conserve essential resources and reduce risk to both the public and healthcare staff.

Indexed as

COVID-19GynecologyAgedFemaleFertilization in VitroHumansMedicarePandemicsSARS-CoV-2United StatesCOVID-19elective surgerygynaecologyin vitro fertilisationMedicare Benefits Schedule

Identifiers

PMID33890300
PMCPMC8251179
OpenAlexW3156235346

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.