COVID-19 pandemic: an update on the reaction attitude of the spine societies and their members worldwide

BACKGROUND All surgical specialties have been influenced by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and substantial changes have been determined in medical assistance, especially in elective surgery. Several spine societies have published recommendations to provide optimal care during this unique situation. AIM To discuss the recommendations by many spine societies for the management of spinal diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS The present study was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines. A review of the MEDLINE database (PubMed – National Library of Medicine), Google, and Google Scholar was performed from March 2020 to date for articles published in the English Language. RESULTS Spine associations and societies worldwide were divided into three groups: Continental, specialty and country-based societies. A total of 27 spine associations were included in this review. There were eight major continental associations, but only one-third of these had published guidelines and recommendations on this topic. On the other hand, the specialty-based societies have not addressed the topic, except in two cases. CONCLUSION The national spine societies showed the deepest concern on this topic with several publications in scientific journals influenced by the local epidemiological severity. Contrarily, continental and specialty-based societies showed less interest in this topic.