The role of the surgical care practitioner during the COVID-19 pandemic: An audit of experiences

Abstract

Introduction: The Surgical Care Practitioner is a medical associate profession role, working to an advanced level, undertaken by registered nurses, operating department practitioners or physiotherapists, on completion of a Royal College of Surgeons accredited course. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to all heath care professionals needing to adapt to help support the health care system as it tackles its effect. Aim: Audit of roles undertaken by Surgical Care Practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of Royal College of Surgeons (2014) Curriculum to review the utilisation of this medical associate profession role. Method: The online questionnaire service, SurveyMonkey®, was used to collect data on the activities being undertaken by the Surgical Care Practitioner during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Eighty Surgical Care Practitioners from across seven different surgical specialties within the United Kingdom completed the online survey. Nearly half stated that they remained mostly working in their substantive role, just less than a third helped in critical care units, with the remaining redeployed in equal shares to emergency departments or assisting on wards with nurses and as part of medical teams. A brief description of their activities was also recorded. Conclusion: This audit has demonstrated the versatility of the Surgical Care Practitioner and ability to adapt during the pandemic.