• Giuditta Mannelli, Massimo Ralli, Marco Bonali, Pasquale Capasso, Pierre Guarino, Valeria Iannini, Niccolò Mevio, Gennaro Russo, Alfonso Scarpa, Giacomo Spinato, Davide Topazio, and Gabriele Molteni.
• COVID-19 Task Force of the Young Otolaryngologists of the Italian Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.
• Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. 2020 Oct 1; 40 (5): 325-331.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to provide an accurate picture of the changes which have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the contributions given by Italian Otolaryngology Units.MethodsA 29-item questionnaire was completed and returned by 154 Otorhinolaryngology Units across Italy that investigated geographic distribution, the main changes which occurred in workload management and in clinical and surgical activities and screening procedures for COVID-19 in healthcare personnel and patients.ResultsNearly half of the Otolaryngology Units that responded to the questionnaire were merged with other units, while 22% were converted into COVID-19 units or temporarily closed. A reduction of 8.55% in the number of team members was reported, and about 50% of the units applied uniform work shifts for all staff. Elective activities were uniformly stopped or delayed, passing from 30,295 (pre-COVID data) to 5,684 (COVID data) weekly procedures, with a mean decrease of 81.24% (p < 0.001).ConclusionsMost of the elective otolaryngology activities were suspended during the pandemic; the only procedures were for oncology and emergency patients. Italian Otolaryngologists have demonstrated a high availability to collaborate with non-surgical colleagues.Copyright © 2020 Società Italiana di Otorinolaringoiatria e Chirurgia Cervico-Facciale, Rome, Italy.

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