Plastic and reconstructive surgery
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Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Aug 2020
Surviving the COVID-19 Pandemic: Surge Capacity Planning for Nonemergent Surgery.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has confronted the U. S. health care system with unprecedented challenges amidst a tenuous economic environment. ⋯ Given the potentially prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care use, it is imperative for plastic surgeons to collaborate with other medical and surgical specialties to develop surge capacity protocols that allow continuation of safe, high-quality, nonemergent procedures. The purpose of this article is to provide necessary and timely public health information relevant to plastic surgery and also share a conceptual framework to guide surge capacity protocols for nonemergent surgery.
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Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Aug 2020
The Early Effects of COVID-19 on Plastic Surgery Residency Training: The University of Washington Experience.
Plastic surgeons have the unique perspective of working with all types of patients and care teams from almost all specialties in surgery and medicine, which creates unique challenges in times of distress. As the initial epicenter of coronavirus disease 2019 cases in the United States, the University of Washington program was required to rapidly develop strategies to deal with the escalating crisis. ⋯ In addition, as a residency training program, limiting the impact of resident education and maintaining a sense of community and connection among members of the program developed into important considerations. The authors hope that the narrative of their experience will provide insight into the decisions made in the University of Washington health care system but also remind others that they are not alone in dealing with the challenges of this pandemic.