The American College of Gastroenterology released a guide for practices on reopening endoscopy centers, offering a comprehensive breakdown of the factors centers must consider before reopening.
Here are three factors centers should weigh when considering reopening:
1. Centers should consider local government guidance; local hospital capacity; if COVID-19 cases and deaths are trending downward for 14 days; if a community is high or low risk; and whether communities have an ample supply of screening tests.
2. Centers should continue performing immediate and urgent GI procedures, and then add in elective cases like screening for colorectal cancer, Barrett's esophagus, gastric intestinal metaplasia, and bariatric procedures when appropriate. Before performing any case, centers should screen patients for COVID-19 before their procedure, then perform a number of symptom checks on the day of the procedure.
3. Centers must assess the availability of their staff and the availability of personal protective equipment in the region before taking any action.
Read the complete guide here.