Fertility specialist practice in the Philippines during the COVID- 19 pandemic

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objective:</strong> To determine the changes in the clinical practice of infertility specialists in the Philippines, specifically, the proportion of specialists who stopped practice, length of break from clinics, the decrease in caseload, changes in consultation platform, screening frequency, number of clinicians that contracted COVI D 19 and safety protocols employed during the COVID - 19 pandemic.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods:</strong> A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire given to all members of the Philippine Society for Reproductive Medicine (PSRM) last November 2020. Participants were requested to answer the questionnaire through google spread sheet, with informed consent. All data were collated, summarized and reported in terms of frequencies, and measures of central tendency.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Results:</strong> There were 110 active members of the PSRM who participated in the study. There was an overall decrease in the percentage of fertility consultations during the pandemic. There is also a substantial decrease in the caseload from different practices: 45.4% reported more than 50% decrease in !VF-related procedures, 54.5% noted more than 50% decrease in intrauterine insemination procedures, 52.8% reported more than 50% decrease in ovulation induction treatment, and 66.3% reported more than 50% decrease in endoscopic procedures. About 37% of the respondents deferred approximately 5-10 cases for fertility treatment, with 27.3% of the respondents reported deferring embryo transfer to less than 5 couples. More than half of the specialists (51.8%) stopped performing fertility procedures and 68.2% of the respondents completely stopped doing out patient consultations. However, some specialists resumed clinics by May 2020 (30.9%) and June 2020 (30.9%). Upon resumption of clinics, specialists used both face to face consultation and teleconsultation, with the largest proportion of respondents using both platforms. Safety measures employed during face-to-face consultations to prevent disease transmission included hand sanitizers in the clinics, restricted number of people in the waiting room and consultation room, use of personal protective equipment, symptom check prior to face to face consults, installation of air purifiers, and acrylic barriers, and use of health declaration forms. Majority of the specialists are aware of the international and local guidelines regarding infertility care during the pandemic (98.2%) and inform patients regarding the contents of the guidelines (90%).</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusion:</strong> There is a significant decline in the consultations and fertility procedures during the pandemic. Specialists are well informed of the international and local guidelines regarding fertility care during the pandemic.</p>

Practice of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery in the Philippines during the COVID-19 Pandemic / Philippine Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Objective@#This study aims to establish baseline information on the practice of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery (MIGS) among Filipino gynecologic endoscopists amid the COVID-19 pandemic. @*Materials and Methods@#MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online survey was conducted among Fellows of the Philippine Society for Gynecologic Endoscopy (PSGE) practicing in private and government hospitals in the Philippines after informed consent. The survey had five subsections: (1) demographic data, (2) impact of COVID-19 pandemic on MIGS practice, (3) changes of practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (4) changes in the conduct of surgery and postoperative care. @*Results@#A total of 119 out of 144 PSGE Fellows based in the Philippines participated in the survey, 83% were Fellows in both laparoscopy and hysteroscopy. The majority had more than 15 years of practice and were practicing in the National Capital Region. Surgeries were canceled initially but have since resumed. The majority were hysteroscopy cases, the most common being polypectomy. Majority of the respondents reduced their clinic hours and appointments. Most have used telemedicine for consultations. Use of face masks, face shields, and personal protective equipment (PPE) were the top precautions taken in the clinics. Screening and precautions per guidelines inside the operating room setting were observed. Modifications during surgery include the use of smoke evacuators, minimizing energy device use, and wearing enhanced PPE.@*Conclusion@#The volume of laparoscopy and hysteroscopy cases was greatly reduced during the pandemic. The pandemic has disrupted the practice of MIGS both in the outpatient clinics and the operating rooms. Most of the changes made are congruent to local and international automotive task force guidelines. Precautionary measures and screening procedures must remain in place to reduce the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 transmission to patients and health-care workers.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on fertility centers in the Philippines

Objective@#The aim of the study was to determine the impact of the COVID – 19 pandemic on fertility centers in the Philippines as reflected in the change in caseload for the different types of fertility procedures and modifications in the physical set up of laboratories, staff and patient screening.@*Methods@#A descriptive cross-sectional study using a questionnaire was administered to all Philippine Society for Reproductive Medicine (PSRM) accredited fertility centers on November 2020. The study underwent ethics and technical review approval. The medical director or manager of the centers was requested to answer the questionnaire. All data were collated, summarized and analyzed.@*Results@#All seven PSRM accredited fertility centers participated in the study. There was an overall decrease in fertility procedures performed in all the centers with most of the centers reporting a less than 50% decrease in oocyte pick up, less than 75% decrease in frozen embryo transfer and around 50 – 75% decrease in intrauterine insemination cases. All fertility centers implemented social distancing, triaging of patients by symptoms, use of personal protective equipment for doctors and staff, placing alcohol dispensers at the reception area and limiting the number of people allowed inside the center. Clinical visits were now scheduled and revisions in informed consent were done. @*Conclusion@#The majority of local fertility centers experienced a significant decline in fertility procedures. Modifications to the conduct of their clinic for safety of their staff and patients were compliant with local and international guidelines.