The Global Evolution of Clinical Practice During a Pandemic

ABSTRACT

Following the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO), unexpected and immediate changes in clinical practice emerged out of clinical necessity on both institutional and regional scales. Due to changes in clinical safety guidelines, the mass disruption in routine surgical care carried extensive implications for resulting long-term sequelae of potential advanced stage pathology. In the absence of a cohesive global response, institutional changes regarding clinical protocols, personal protective equipment, and bed allocation were implemented in collaboration with locoregional and international partners. In light of the void in clinical information and the need to disseminate early data, journal submission guidelines changed, and research collaboratives seeking to study and understand COVID-19 were born. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.