To investigate the impact of COVID-19-related cancellation of elective orthopaedic surgeries on pretreatment pain levels and psychosocial distress in patients, highlighting the significance of these findings in the context of the pandemic.
Key Findings:
Mean pain level increased from 5.5 to 6.2 after surgery cancellation (p < 0.0001), indicating a significant impact on patient well-being.
38% of patients reported increased analgesic use post-cancellation, suggesting a need for better pain management strategies.
Female patients had significantly higher pain levels before cancellation (p = 0.029), highlighting gender disparities in pain perception.
29% of patients exhibited clinically relevant depression (PHQ-9 score ≥ 15), underscoring the mental health crisis among surgical patients.
Interpretation:
The postponement of elective surgeries due to COVID-19 significantly increased both pain levels and psychosocial distress among patients, highlighting the need for mental health considerations in surgical care.
Limitations:
The study had a relatively small sample size (n = 77), which may limit the robustness of the findings.
Self-reported measures may introduce bias, affecting the reliability of pain and distress assessments.
The study was conducted in a single center, limiting generalizability to broader populations and settings.
Conclusion:
COVID-19-related cancellations of elective orthopaedic surgeries have led to increased pain and psychosocial distress, emphasizing the importance of addressing mental health in surgical patients and suggesting the need for future research and interventions.
Swedish registry analysis linked surgical treatment with better patient-reported function in comminuted intra-articular distal radius fractures, while other fracture patterns showed limited benefit.
