Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33964499›Full record

ArticleWorld neurosurgery2021

The Financial Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Neurosurgery Practice in Spring 2020.

James P Caruso, Karin Swartz, Catherine Mazzola, Vin Shen Ban, Ravi Singh, Cody Eldridge, Clemens Schirmer, Joseph Cheng, Andrew M Bauer, Michael Steinmetz and 1 more

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

Article in World neurosurgery, 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
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 39% 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. Observational
  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

11 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

James P CarusoDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Karin SwartzDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Catherine MazzolaNew Jersey Pediatric Neuroscience Institute, Morristown, New Jersey, USA.
Vin Shen BanDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Ravi SinghDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Cody EldridgeDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Clemens SchirmerDepartment of Neurosurgery and Neuroscience Institute, Geisinger Health System and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA; Research Institute of Neurointervention, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
Joseph ChengDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Andrew M BauerDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.
Michael SteinmetzCenter for Spine Health, Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Owoicho AdogwaDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA. Electronic address: owoicho.adogwa@utsouthwestern.edu.
Neurological Surgery · USCleveland Clinic · USMedical College of Wisconsin · USParacelsus Medical University · ATSouthwestern Medical Center · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed health care delivery across the United States. Few analyses have specifically looked at quantifying the financial impact of the pandemic on practicing neurosurgeons. A survey analysis was performed to address this need.

methodsA 19-question survey was distributed to practicing neurosurgeons in the United States and its territories. The questions evaluated respondents' assessments of changes in patient and procedural volume, salary and benefits, practice expenses, staffing, applications for government assistance, and stroke management. Responses were stratified by geographic region.

resultsThe response rate was 5.1% (267/5224). Most respondents from each region noted a >50% decrease in clinic volume. Respondents from the Northeast observed a 76% decrease in procedure volume, which was significantly greater than that of other regions (P = 0.003). Northeast respondents were also significantly more likely to have been reassigned to nonneurosurgical clinical duties during the pandemic (P < 0.001). Most respondents also noted decreased salary and benefits but experienced no changes in overall practice expenses. Most respondents did not experience significant reductions in nursing or midlevel staffing. These trends were not significantly different between regions.

conclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to decreases in patient and procedural volume and physician compensation despite stable practice expenses. Significantly more respondents in the Northeast region noted decreases in procedural volume and reassignment to nonneurosurgical COVID-related medical duties. Future analysis is necessary as the pandemic evolves and the long-term clinical and economic implications become clear.

Indexed as

COVID-19Delivery of Health CareElective Surgical ProceduresHumansNeurosurgeonsNeurosurgeryNeurosurgical ProceduresPersonal Protective EquipmentSARS-CoV-2COVID-19FinancePandemicSocioeconomic

Identifiers

PMID33964499
PMCPMC9760261
OpenAlexW3157079124

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.