The impact of COVID-19 in Canada on surgical waitlists and mitigation strategies moving forward

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) pandemic has increased dramatically increased surgical wait times in Canada. COVID-19 presents governments and health authorities with an opportunity to conduct research ultimately to guide evidenced-based reform. Current solutions to mitigate the increased duration of waitlist include a single-entry model with team-based care may help to reduce the backlog of surgeries due to COVID-19 shutdowns, provided that health authorities support physicians and staff with sufficient resources.