Table 1.
Neurosurgeons' Responses on Changes to Admission of Patients, Quality of Care, Clinic Volume, Operative Volume, and Income Stratified by Region Case Level
| Survey Question and Possible Response | Region Volume |
Nonparametric P Value∗ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| <10,000 Cases (n = 80) | >10,000 Cases (n = 340) | ||
| Q6. Have you had problems admitting neurosurgical patients because of high census secondary to the COVID-19 epidemic? | 0.077 | ||
| Yes | 9 (11.25) | 68 (20.18) | |
| No | 71 (88.75) | 269 (79.82) | |
| Q8. Do you feel that the neurosurgical care of your patients has suffered significantly because of the COVID-19 epidemic? | 0.444 | ||
| Definitely yes | 31 (38.75) | 114 (33.53) | |
| Probably yes | 18 (22.5) | 103 (30.29) | |
| Might or might not | 11 (13.75) | 32 (9.41) | |
| Probably not | 14 (17.5) | 70 (20.59) | |
| Definitely not | 6 (7.5) | 21 (6.18) | |
| Q9. How much reduction in volume have you experienced in your outpatient clinic/hospital consults since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic? | 0.633 | ||
| My clinic/hospital volume has increased | 0 (0) | 2 (0.59) | |
| No change in volume | 0 (0) | 4 (1.18) | |
| Volume decreased by 1%–25% | 4 (5) | 11 (3.24) | |
| Volume decreased by 26%–50% | 17 (21.25) | 51 (15) | |
| Volume decreased by 51%–75% | 33 (41.25) | 137 (40.29) | |
| Volume decreased by 76%–99% | 24 (30) | 117 (34.41) | |
| I have closed my outpatient clinic completely | 2 (2.5) | 18 (5.29) | |
| Q11. How much reduction in operative volume have you experienced since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic? | 0.03† | ||
| My operative volume has increased | 0 (0) | 2 (0.59) | |
| No change in volume | 1 (1.25) | 2 (0.59) | |
| Volume decreased by 1%–25% | 5 (6.25) | 15 (4.41) | |
| Volume decreased by 26%–50% | 9 (11.25) | 38 (11.18) | |
| Volume decreased by 51%–75% | 34 (42.5) | 85 (25) | |
| Volume decreased by 76%–99% | 26 (32.5) | 172 (50.59) | |
| I have stopped operating completely | 5 (6.25) | 26 (7.65) | |
| Q21. Have you experienced fluctuation in your income secondary to the COVID-19 epidemic? | 0.162 | ||
| No, I have a salaried position and do not expect my income to change | 22 (27.85) | 100 (29.67) | |
| No, but I expect that my income will decrease once the billing cycle catches up | 16 (20.25) | 99 (29.38) | |
| Yes | 41 (51.9) | 138 (40.95) | |
COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; Q, question.
∗
Calculated using the Fisher exact test.
†
Statistically significant.