Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on Gastrointestinal Practices in Bangladesh

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major global impact on most of the fields of medical practice including gastroenterology practice and endoscopy service. This study was conducted among gastroenterologists in Bangladesh to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gastrointestinal practices in the country.

Materials and Methods: The survey questionnaire, containing 24 questions, was circulated through emails of the gastroenterologists between July 2nd to August 1st, 2020. Filled forms were automatically received into the Survey Monkey system and retrieved in Excel sheet and analyzed.

Results: A total of 53 gastroenterologists (male 90.57%) responded to the survey. Weekly outpatient appointments were reduced by 75.8%. Only 26.4% of the gastroenterologists continued regular face-to-face consultations. The weekly number of gastroscopies and colonoscopies performed by the participants were reduced by 89.3% and 83.3% respectively. Three fourths of the gastroenterologist stopped doing endoscopy. Only 50.93 % of the endoscopists used N95 or similar masks.

Conclusion: As with the rest of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted gastroenterology practice and endoscopy service in Bangladesh. Further study may be required to identify the impact of this significantly altered workflow on gastrointestinal disease
detection and treatment.