Otolaryngology in the face of A pandemic

Nicole Ruszkay; Jacqueline Tucker; Karen Y Choi

doi:10.1016/j.otot.2022.04.002

Otolaryngology in the face of A pandemic

Oper Tech Otolayngol Head Neck Surg. 2022 Jun;33(2):74-83. doi: 10.1016/j.otot.2022.04.002. Epub 2022 Apr 28.

Authors

Nicole Ruszkay¹, Jacqueline Tucker², Karen Y Choi^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania.
² College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Abstract

Although infrequent, pandemics are serious public health concerns with unpredictable courses. The COVID-19 pandemic began over 2 years ago and is far from over. This pandemic has spread rapidly throughout the world and led to several million deaths, making it commonly compared to the deadly Spanish influenza pandemic. Policy and safety measures are constantly being adapted to reduce transmission rates. The pandemic places stress on all healthcare workers, but especially otolaryngology providers due to their direct contact with airway connected cavities. This puts them at high risk for infection and has impacted inpatient and outpatient otolaryngology care, as well as education, research, and mental health.