Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on emergency bellwether procedures in South and Southeast Asia.

@article{chan2026impact,
  title = {{Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on emergency bellwether procedures in South and Southeast Asia.}},
  author = {Sze Ling Chan and Jia Sheng Guan and Sean Shao Wei Lam and Nomal Chandra Borah and Nipanka Goswami and Dipika Dey and Purabi Sarkar and Zairin Noor and Pandji Winata Nurikhwan and Hariadi Yuseran and Tjahyo Kelono Utomo and Sanjib Singh Nepram and Nehar Sinam and Budi Irwan and Muhammad Fahdy and Muhammad Ichwan and Inke Nadia Diniyanti Lubis and Dina Kumala Sari and Ian Chik and Levin Kesu Belani and Nur Azurah Abdul Ghani and Razman Jarmin and April Camilla Roslani and Mee Hoong See and Mukhri Hamdan and Ainee Sarah Ahmad and Hoang Le and Van Thanh Nguyen and Tan Duy Dao and Thanh Tung Ton and Vu Minh Duy Nguyen and Thi-Ngoc Dung Nguyen and Pham Nguyet Thanh Do and Duc Thanh Bui and Quoc Viet Tran and Hiang Khoon Tan and Pierce Kah Hoe Chow and Sachin Mathur},
  journal = {BMJ public health},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1136/bmjph-2024-002547},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42920988},
  note = {CC BY-NC},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on emergency bellwether procedures in South and Southeast Asia.
AU  - Sze Ling Chan
AU  - Jia Sheng Guan
AU  - Sean Shao Wei Lam
AU  - Nomal Chandra Borah
AU  - Nipanka Goswami
AU  - Dipika Dey
AU  - Purabi Sarkar
AU  - Zairin Noor
AU  - Pandji Winata Nurikhwan
AU  - Hariadi Yuseran
AU  - Tjahyo Kelono Utomo
AU  - Sanjib Singh Nepram
AU  - Nehar Sinam
AU  - Budi Irwan
AU  - Muhammad Fahdy
AU  - Muhammad Ichwan
AU  - Inke Nadia Diniyanti Lubis
AU  - Dina Kumala Sari
AU  - Ian Chik
AU  - Levin Kesu Belani
AU  - Nur Azurah Abdul Ghani
AU  - Razman Jarmin
AU  - April Camilla Roslani
AU  - Mee Hoong See
AU  - Mukhri Hamdan
AU  - Ainee Sarah Ahmad
AU  - Hoang Le
AU  - Van Thanh Nguyen
AU  - Tan Duy Dao
AU  - Thanh Tung Ton
AU  - Vu Minh Duy Nguyen
AU  - Thi-Ngoc Dung Nguyen
AU  - Pham Nguyet Thanh Do
AU  - Duc Thanh Bui
AU  - Quoc Viet Tran
AU  - Hiang Khoon Tan
AU  - Pierce Kah Hoe Chow
AU  - Sachin Mathur
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/22
JO  - BMJ public health
DO  - 10.1136/bmjph-2024-002547
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42920988
AB  - Introduction  Around the time COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, various restrictions and measures were implemented at all levels to limit disease spread and preserve healthcare capacity. Data are lacking in many low- and middle-income countries on how these measures impact healthcare utilisation and outcomes. This study aims to determine the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on volumes of the three emergency bellwether procedures in South and Southeast Asia.Methods  This was an interrupted time series study of patients who underwent any of the three emergency bellwether procedures (caesarean section, laparotomy and open fracture fixation) from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2021 at one of eight institutions in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Vietnam. We compared the weekly volumes, baseline characteristics and outcomes of each procedure across different time periods in each institution defined by different levels of COVID-19 restrictions using selected indicators from a city-level and hospital-level response index.Results  Weekly volumes of emergency caesarean section decreased significantly in Guwahati Neurological Research Centre (GNRC) (p=1.62×10⁻⁵) and Ulin General Hospital (UGH) (p<2.2×10⁻¹⁶) but increased in Adam Malik Hospital (AMH) (p=1.45×10⁻⁵). For laparotomies, volume increased in Singapore General Hospital (p=2.38×10⁻⁵) but decreased in Military Hospital 175 (p=6.30×10⁻⁷). The volume of open fracture fixations decreased in GNRC (p=3.08×10⁻⁸), AMH (p=1.68×10⁻⁶) and UGH (p=8.15×10⁻⁶).Conclusions  COVID-19 restrictions on the city and hospital level were associated with a decrease in surgical volumes of the three bellwether procedures in some of the institutions. There was some suggestion of surgical capacity limitations in UGH and Military Hospital 175 during periods of more stringent COVID-19 restrictions.
SN  - 2753-4294
ER  -