ABSTRACT
Considering the increased patient burden and disruptions in the healthcare system, orthopedic residents are affected both psychologically and physically while working both in the management of trauma patients and caring for COVID-19 patients. Our objective was to investigate the virus exposure and health status of orthopedic residents during the pandemic and to review the measures that can be taken. A survey consisting of 15 questions was organized and circulated through e-mail groups and social media platforms in order to evaluate the health status of residents. Demographic data, co-morbidities, whether they had a COVID-19 infection, time they work in orthopedics-related and COVID-related units, whether there was infection among their colleagues or family members and the infected patient care were questioned. A total of 136 residents completed the survey, of which 41 (30.1%) were infected. A significant difference was found between COVID-infected and COVID-free residents in terms of comorbidities (p=0.026). Residents with infection among their colleagues had lower infection rates (p<0.001). No significant difference was found between groups in terms of the working periods in orthopedics-related or COVID-related units (p>0.05 for each). With this study, the infection rate among orthopedic residents were reported for the first time in the literature, considering the fact that a third of all the participants in our study were infected. The infection rate among the orthopaedics residents were reported for the first time in the literature with this study. The fact that residents with infected colleagues have lower infection rates, demonstrates the importance of self-awareness and protective behaviors. During the pandemic, all healthcare professionals should pay maximum attention for simple measures, like practicing protective behaviors and use of personal protective equipment. Copyright © 2022 Ondokuz Mayis Universitesi. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Redefinition of our social life for COVID-19, with social distance, prohibition of entering and exiting cities, closure of social areas and curfews effects every aspect of our lives, from psychological to physical. The aim of this study was to evaluate the injury mechanisms, fracture frequencies and priority treatment preferences in a tertiary trauma center from Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic, both in adult and pediatric populations, and to compare them with pre-COVID-19 period. In this single-centered study, 960 patients (with 1039 fractures) who were admitted to a tertiary trauma center in Turkey, between April 2020 and December 2020 were examined. A control group of 964 patients (with 1070 fractures) who were admitted in the same date range of 2019 was formed. Patient demographics, injury mechanisms, fracture type and preferred treatment methods were recorded. There was a significant difference regarding injury mechanism between groups in both adult and pediatric populations (p=0.002 and p<0.001, respectively). In adults, according to the residual values, there was significant difference between groups in terms of proximal humerus, elbow, forearm, hand, femoral shaft and knee fractures (p<0.001). Among pediatric patients, a significant difference was found between groups in terms of proximal humerus, hand and knee fractures (p<0.001). In the pediatric population, there has been a significant increase in the preference of conservative treatment in the pandemic group (p=0.002). With increased indoors time, restriction of outdoors physical activities and lesser time in traffic, fracture distribution and priority treatment preferences have inevitably changed. In Turkey, the frequency of almost all upper extremity fractures except proximal humerus and humerus shaft fractures have increased significantly in the adult population, while the frequency of lower extremity fractures associated with high-energy injuries have decreased. In the pediatric population, treatment preferences are shifting towards conservative methods rather than surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic