Philippine Journal of Surgical Specialties Vol. 75, No. 1, January-June 2020, pp 81
POFAS Guidelines During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Author(s): Philippine Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society
Abstract:
Introduction:
We, the Philippine Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, support the Philippine Government and the Philippine Orthopaedic Association policies of limiting elective surgery to decrease the burden on the national health system so as to prevent the spread of the virus, avoiding harm to patients, health care workers and ancillary staff during this pandemic period. We believe, this will help preserve limited resources, equipment and staff that may be needed for patient treatment in the upcoming months, and thus, giving us time to prepare for possible excess load on the healthcare system.
The goal of this guideline is to reduce the number of cases performed as well as to avoid long-term harm for the small number of patients who would suffer a significant adverse outcome by a delay in their surgery of weeks to months.
In addition to the guidelines presented by the PCS and POA, the POFAS suggests the following conditions for emergent orthopaedic intervention
Some pointers to take into account in dealing with foot and ankle cases
Key words: foot and ankle, Telemedicine and Remote Patient Monitoring