ArticlePloS one2021
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on waiting times for elective surgery patients: A multicenter study.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 67 papers.
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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.
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Who cites it
67 citing papers in PubMed, 103 citations in OpenAlex.
- Long-Term Efficacy and Cost-Effectiveness of Laser Tonsillotomy vs Tonsillectomy: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2025Trial
- Evaluation of a quality improvement intervention to reduce anastomotic leak following right colectomy (EAGLE): pragmatic, batched stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial in 64 countries.The British journal of surgery · 2024Trial
- Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic on Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Activity: A Seven-Year Retrospective Study from a Romanian Emergency Hospital.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- Gaps in disaster cost reporting and rising economic burdens in Canada, 1990-2020: retrospective database analysis.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2026Article
- A hybrid AHP and K-means model for biopsychosocial surgical prioritization: validation in a high-complexity ENT unit.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2026Article
- The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on orthognathic surgery in Sweden - a registry-based study.BMC oral health · 2026Article
- COVID-19 on Elective Surgery Outcomes in a Brazilian Tertiary Hospital: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2025Article
- Rebound incidence of anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions in the peripandemic coronavirus disease era: An audit of centers experience.Bulletin of the Hospital for Joint Disease (2013) · 2025Article
- Combined Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Simulation for Healthcare Process Optimization: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The Evolution of Medical Student Competencies and Attitudes in Digital Health Between 2016 and 2022: Comparative Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR medical education · 2025Article
- Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on elective care backlog trends, recovery efforts, and capacity needs to address backlogs in Scotland (2013-2023): a descriptive analysis and modelling study.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2025Article
- Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on odontogenic infections in maxillofacial surgery.Head & face medicine · 2025Article
- Development and Feasibility Study of a Triage Tool for Early Referral to Spinal Cord Stimulation for Patients With Chronic Low Back and Leg Pain.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2025Article
- Influence of SARS-CoV2 Pandemic on Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis, Presentation, and Surgical Management in a Tertiary Center: A Retrospective Study.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Association between multimorbidity and quality of life after hip replacement surgery: analysis of routinely collected patient-reported outcomes.British journal of anaesthesia · 2025Article
- Article
- Surgical Challenges During the COVID-19 Crisis: A Comparative Study of Inguinal Hernia Treatment in Romania.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 Prioritization Recommendations on Pathological Stages of Urologic Malignancies: A Real-World Analysis at a High-Volume Referral Institution.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Article
- Developing a fast-track discharge protocol for patients with cerebral aneurysms treated via neuroendovascular techniques.Interventional neuroradiology : journal of peritherapeutic neuroradiology, surgical procedures and related neurosciences · 2024Article
7 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA concern has been that health care reorganizations during the first COVID-19 wave have led to delays in elective surgeries, resulting in increased complications and even mortality. This multicenter study examined the changes in waiting times of elective surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland.
methodsData on elective surgery were gathered from three Finnish public hospitals for years 2017-2020. Surgery incidence and waiting times were examined and the year 2020 was compared to the reference years 2017-2019. The mean annual, monthly, and weekly waiting times were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The most common diagnosis groups were examined separately.
findingsA total of 88 693 surgeries were included during the study period. The mean waiting time in 2020 was 92.6 (CI 91.5-93.8) days, whereas the mean waiting time in the reference years was 85.8 (CI 85.1-86.5) days, resulting in an average 8% increase in waiting times in 2020. Elective procedure incidence decreased rapidly in the onset of the first COVID-19 wave in March 2020 but recovered in May and June, after which the surgery incidence was 22% higher than in the reference years and remained at this level until the end of the year. In May 2020 and thereafter until November, waiting times were longer with monthly increases varying between 7% and 34%. In gastrointestinal and genitourinary diseases and neoplasms, waiting times were longer in 2020. In cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases, waiting times were shorter in 2020.
conclusionThe health care reorganizations due to the pandemic have increased elective surgery waiting times by as much as one-third, even though the elective surgery rate increased by one-fifth after the lockdown.
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