Developing A Safety Protocol For The Ophthalmic Operating Room In A Tertiary Philippine Hospital During The Covid-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the process in developing a safety protocol for the continued delivery of services in the ophthalmic operating room of a tertiary hospital in the Philippines at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This was implemented at the Eye and Vision Institute of The Medical City Hospital, Pasig City, Philippines

Critical problems in the ophthalmic operating room during the pandemic were identified. These include the high infection rate of COVID-19 among the operating room personnel and patients; time allotment of specific ophthalmic surgeries; and apprehension of patients to undergo eye surgeries. After thorough analysis, a safety protocol on the operations of the ophthalmic operating room was produced, mainly focusing on COVID-19 testing of the operating room personnel, as well as adequate time allotment of procedures to give way for disinfection and cleaning. 

After the implementation of the safety protocol, infection of COVID-19 was decreased by at least 80% among the ophthalmic operating room personnel. Consequently, the number of procedures done daily increased by almost 100% compared to the number of surgeries done at the height of the COVID-19 surge in the Philippines. A scheduling and confirmation system ensured that planned ophthalmic procedures will be done on a specific day, thus lessening the idle time in the operating room.   

The development of a safety protocol in the ophthalmic operating room is a beneficial step to avoid the transmission of the COVID-19 virus among ophthalmic operating room personnel and patients while also increasing confidence among patients to undergo their planned eye procedures and surgeries.