LAUSR

Neurosciences 2020; Vol. 25 (5) www.nsj.org.sa OPEN ACCESS The first case of Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) in Saudi Arabia was diagnosed in the eastern province on the 2nd of March 2020.1 A state of global pandemic was declared on the 11th of March.2 Since then, the pandemic has had an extensive impact on all aspects of society, including postgraduate medical education and training. The workflows at the Department of Neurosurgery have been adjusted based on the recommendations of the Ministry of Health and of the Saudi Association of Neurological Surgery.3 The modifications include the following: 1) the cancelation of all elective surgeries except preplanned neuro-oncological procedures. There were decreases of approximately 20%, 50% and 90% in surgical cases during the months of March, April and May, respectively (Hospital registry). 2) The regularly offered neurosurgical services were replaced by an on-call team consisting of a junior resident, a senior resident and an attending consultant. There are 2 of these teams, and they alternate every 2 weeks to maintain business continuity in case of unprotected exposure, isolation or an infection among the staff. 3) All clinical and academic meetings were suspended. 4) A designated COVID-19 team responsible for managing suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases was established. This team consists of board-certified physicians only. 5) Outpatient clinics continued to operate through virtual methods on a regular schedule, and patients were contacted by phone and managed accordingly. Patients who needed further in-hospital assessments or emergency visits were managed through patient relation (PR) personnel who instructed, arranged and escorted them to a clinic. Medications were prescribed and mailed to patients if needed. The Editorial