The Impact of COVID-19 and Lockdown on Spinal Services at a National Level: Lessons Learned and Areas of Service Improvement for Future Health Care Delivery.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the provision of health care worldwide. The delivery of national spinal service for emergent surgery, elective surgery, and outpatient assessment has been incredibly challenging. A variety of innovative measures were undertaken to facilitate the safe provision of acute service and are outlined in this review, along with a number of key learning points which will improve the quality of health care delivered over the coming years. The challenges facing the spinal surgery community with regard the reintroduction of elective surgery is discussed, and a potential roadmap for the safe resumption of services is presented.