Gastrointestinal endoscopy during COVID 19 when less is more

The last few months have been challenging. The country has been locked down as a consequence of COVD-19 with a significant impact on the delivery of services for non COVID disease including endoscopy. In an insightful commentary in this issue - Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, when less is more - Cathyrn Edwards, President of the British Society of Gastroenterology and colleagues discuss the need for and achievement of UK wide consensus on how best to proceed. Most endoscopy has been paused with a rapid fall off in procedures done. This pause was felt to be the least damaging approach at the height of the crisis when there was (and still is) so much uncertainty about what will happen next during this now worldwide pandemic. The paper includes live links that will be updated as the evidence base develops around issues like the potential for faeco-oral transmission, the best personal protective equipment strategy, antigen and antibody testing. It is crucial that we get it right for patients first to minimise the secondary morbidity for non COVID disease but also to ensure patients and staff are safe as services resume during what is likely to be a very prolonged recovery period. (See page 256 …