Surgeons are to be classified as torso or extremity specialists under plans to change how they work during the crisis. In new guidance, the UK’s surgical royal colleges told surgeons to “prepare [for] new roles, and get trained fast, to work beyond your comfort zone”. The colleges suggest that emergency surgical services should be maintained “by dividing surgical work into two main categories — torso/cavity (eg vascular, general, urology) and extremity (orthopaedics, plastics).”They urged members to make sure they were using personal protective equipment (PPE) correctly and to avoid surgery where possible because of the risk to patients and healthcare workers of coronavirus transmission. The guidance said initially that emergency surgery provision would be delivered as normal. However, should the workforce be hit by

Source: The Times March 24, 2020 01:30 UTC