Hospital organization and thoracic oncological patient management during the coronavirus disease-2019 outbreak: a brief report from a nationwide survey of the Italian Society of Thoracic Surgery.

ABSTRACT

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has made us aware of the weaknesses and often the inadequacies of our current technologies and practices and has presented us with a huge challenge to reorganize the way we work and sometimes even think, in order to ensure the safety of our patients. The Italian Society of Thoracic Surgery has launched various initiatives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, aimed at facilitating the exchange of information, strategies and personal experiences between institutions. This article presents the results of a survey amongst all Italian thoracic surgery units accredited to SICT, with the aim of providing a glimpse of the current working conditions in these units, and an understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on their daily activities and patient care.