The Lingering Impact of COVID-19

We can’t move past this year and, more specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic fast enough. The negative impact the virus has had on not only this industry, but the worldwide population, has been nothing short of an awful experience. Fortunately, there has been encouraging news on the vaccine front and 2021 is certainly shaping up to be a better year even if the precautions that have been in place since March linger throughout the first half of the next year (at minimum).

Still, there are lessons to be learned from this experience and there could even be elements that cause a lasting change regarding the orthopedic industry. The lingering impact of COVID-19 could be felt by this segment for some time; fortunately, not all of it will be negative.

With the pause of elective procedures, the orthopedic industry went into a holding pattern during the spring of 2020, which continued into the summer. This created significant problems for both OEMs and their supply chain partners. Once procedures began to return, however, new ideas of how to proceed and improve traditional processes emerged, which could result in better patient care in the long run.

One aspect that needed resolution was the presence of OEM sales reps in the OR. Previously a standard practice, during the pandemic, it’s desirable to have as few bodies as possible in the confined space.

Fortunately, telehealth solutions had already been developed that could address these needs. Leveraging this type of technology, reps can greatly reduce travel, attend more procedures “in person” virtually, and perhaps even discuss a surgeon’s question with another member of the team while the procedure is in progress. Being able to “dial in” to an OR brings a host of benefits. While it will certainly take some adapting to, it’s a potentially positive impact from the pandemic that could stick around.

Similarly, follow-up appointments with a surgeon or other healthcare professional (such as a physical therapist) moved to a virtual experience due to the pandemic. New technology has been produced that will offer a guided physical therapy session in the home, with sensors that enable monitoring of the range of motion as well as feedback on progress. With devices like these already available (originally intended to address patients in more remote or rural areas), how likely is it that patients will have a real need to travel to a doctor’s or physical therapist office for follow-up? In-person appointments could be reserved for those patients who underwent more complex procedures or who are exhibiting unsatisfactory postoperative conditions. With many patients receiving follow-up treatment virtually, surgeons and physical therapists would be freed up to give more time to those serious cases—a benefit that becomes even more significant when many are anticipating future shortages of physicians and medical professionals.

Surgical training is another concern where a resolution has been given more attention as a result of the pandemic. It’s been an existing challenge for surgeons to become proficient on a new device or with a change to a procedure. They simply don’t have the opportunity to perform the procedure enough or work with a new device before they are expected to use it with real patients. As a result, technology similar to that used by the gaming industry has been leveraged to address these problems. Virtual reality systems can provide a surprisingly realistic experience for surgeons of any level (student through to seasoned veteran), offering them a consequence-free opportunity to practice as much as they need. Better still, they can do so from just about anywhere. They don’t need to be in an OR to perform the simulated surgery; rather, it can be done in their home, office, or even on the road in a hotel room. Further, the surgeon can isolate a specific aspect to practice on a particularly difficult part of the procedure.

The changes may not be limited to the clinical space and personnel, or their patients, however. Both OEMs and their supply chain partners could ultimately reevaluate how they adjust to a new “business as usual.” For example, remote audits, which have been used in a limited capacity pre-pandemic, could become much more commonplace after the pandemic has passed. Also, with so many calling for a return of manufacturing of critical medical supplies to domestic facilities, companies may need to address an increase in production demand. This could result in more automation rolled out across U.S.-based manufacturing centers, using human personnel to oversee the production and stepping in when necessary.

Regardless of how the orthopedic sector changes, from device development through to care delivery, the pandemic has given all stakeholders a reason to reevaluate how things are done and, more importantly, why they are done the way they are. Taking time to identify better ways to accomplish tasks should be treated as a welcome exercise. 

Sean Fenske, Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]