85% of private-practice plastic surgeons received no government support during pandemic
The Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery has published the results of a survey analysing the social and economic impact of covid-19 on the private practices of plastic surgeons around the globe.
A 30-question anonymous questionnaire was sent to board certified plastic surgeons around the world. A total of 205 out of 300 surgeons (69%) across 34 different countries replied.
In response to global lockdowns, 72% of surgeons said they were able to offer telemedicine, but raised concerns over patient privacy on video calls, potentially leaving them exposed to legal action. When asked if they believe that covid-19 caused a global economic problem, 98% said “yes”.
Most plastic surgeons decided to keep their staff on their original salaries (73%) even when most of them (85%) received no support from their government. Only 23.9% had a family member who could provide economic and only 5.85% of participants’ insurance covered their lack of income during the pandemic.
At the time of the survey, 1% of the participants had contracted COVID-19 and one of them suffered a serious clinical condition. Only 4% indicated that they have treated COVID-19 positive patients, but only four of them knew that the patient was infected before being in contact with the patient.
The authors concluded that this “new normality” will change the reality of plastic surgery practice forever but that surgeons have a chance to evolve to a more flexible and digitalised healthcare, reducing costs and improving services to patients.
