Endoscopy units and the Coronavirus disease 2019 Outbreak: A Multicenter experience from Italy

Abstract

Up to 20% of health care personnel (HCP) were found to be infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19)1 in the outbreak in northern Italy.2 Recommendations on patient and HCP protection have been made, such as postponing procedures, triage, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and creation of differentiated in-hospital pathways.3,4 However, several barriers against the adoption of these strategies exist, including cultural factors and shortages of medical resources; therefore, there are few reports of real-world experiences and outcomes with their adoption.5 The aim of this survey was to investigate the burden of COVID-19 on endoscopic activity in a high-risk area of COVID-19 outbreak, approaches to evaluating patients, adoption and compliance of HCP with protective measures, and initial possible viral transmission outcomes from endoscopy units within a large, community-based setting (both between patients and HCP and between HCP).