ABSTRACT
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), first appeared in December 2019 and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020 (World Health Organization. WHO director-general's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19—11 March 2020. https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19%2D%2D-11-march-2020. Accessed 2020). By September 9, 2020, 27.7 million cases and 0.9 million deaths were confirmed globally (Center for Systems Science and Engineering – Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center: COVID-19 Dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html. Accessed 2020). This disease placed an unprecedented strain on healthcare systems around the world (Remuzzi and Remuzzi. Lancet. 395(10231):1225–8, 2020) and had a substantial effect on clinical practice across all surgical specialties, with neurosurgery being no exception (Bernstein. J Neurosurg. 2020:1–2. https://doi.org/10.3171/2020.4.JNS201031). Many hospitals implemented no-visitor policies and COVID-19 testing for all inpatients in order to prevent spread and protect patients and healthcare workers (Calderwood. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2020:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2020.303). To conserve beds, workforce, and valuable resources such as masks, gowns, and ventilators, surgeons had to restrict operations to emergency and essential interventions. Some neurosurgeons were redeployed to new intradepartmental roles, others lateralized to provide care for coronavirus patients. In order to limit in-person interactions and contagion, there was a surge in telehealth and digital innovation for remote monitoring and management. Research laboratories were closed for prolonged periods. Medical education and residency training were also substantially altered, with cancellation of many in-person events and a transformation to online meetings and educational sessions. In this chapter, we discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the global neurosurgery community with respect to clinical care, education, and research. While the pandemic has caused tremendous disruption in global neurosurgery already, there is hope that many of the lessons learned during this time have contributed to our resilience and preparedness for the future, be it a second wave of COVID-19 or a new unexpected challenge. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.