Author(s)
Saud Sunba, Katie de Champlain, Doug Bosch, Derrick Randall
Affiliation(s)
University of Calgary;
Abstract:
Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic affected access to subspecialty healthcare, notably surgical procedures, with publicly administered health care systems threatened. This study aims to determine the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on wait times for dysphagia surgical procedures within a public, universal healthcare system.
Method: A retrospective review was conducted on patients with pharyngoesophageal disease at a tertiary laryngology care centre who underwent esophageal surgery 18 months prior to and following the COVID-19 pandemic onset. Data included gender, age, diagnosis, date of diagnosis, date of surgery, and urgency-based wait time recommendations. Data was normalized to each surgeon’s average pre-pandemic dysphagia surgery wait time. Statistical analysis was completed using SPSS.
Results: The study included 116 patients (44% female), with average age 71.8 years (95%CI 69.3-74.5). The mean wait time to surgery increased 28% (95%CI -3.0 - 59.2%) during the pandemic, but this was not significantly different compared to pre-pandemic wait times (p=0.096). There appeared to be an effect related to practice pattern, as one surgeon performed significantly more surgeries (84% of all cases); however, the other surgeon experienced a greater impact on weight times. The number of dysphagia patients treated was similar pre-pandemic versus pandemic, and the proportion of procedures completed within the wait time guidelines found no difference among those done in the pre-pandemic period (p=0.317).
Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic did not affect surgical wait times for dysphagia patients in a universal healthcare system. This may reflect altered surgical priorities for limited operating room capacity but indicates preserved care for this population.