1. 2020;23;S439-S448Ohio Response to COVID-19 and Its Impact on Interventional Pain Management Practices
   Focused Review
   Ricardo Buenaventura, MD, Atul Chandoke, MD, Rajbir Minhas, MD, Shalini Shah, MD, Yasmeen Soin, JD, Harsh Sachdeva, MD, Humam Akbik, MD, Alex Escobar, MD, Aarti Singla, MD, Tammy L Dann, MD, Omar Khan, MS, Rahul Madan, DVM, Mark Malinowski, DO, Akash Rajaratnam, BS, Gregory Surfield, MD, Amol Soin, MD, and Srinivas Vuppala, MD.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has drastically altered daily living and medical care for Ohio residents and the practice of medicine for the interventional pain management physician. As a state, Ohio tends to be demographically representative of the broader US population.

OBJECTIVE: Reviewing the efforts deployed by Ohio to flatten the COVID-19 infection curve and reduce the spread of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an important component of determining optimal procedures for mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: Over the course of several announcements and orders during the months of March and April, new policies were put into place to prevent COVID-19 transmission, which included efforts to facilitate social distancing and ensure the health care system could manage the number of COVID-19 cases at peak infection rate. Efforts directed toward medical providers included delay of elective procedures, expansion of telehealth options, and new temporary guidance for prescribing controlled substances.

RESULTS: The Ohio COVID-19 containment approach resulted in a substantial reduction in COVID-19 cases compared with early models of disease spread, and the state has begun a phased reopening. Continued vigilance in applying social distancing and infection control measures will be a critical component of preventing or reducing the impact of a second wave of COVID-19 in Ohio.

LIMITATIONS: A narrative review with paucity of literature.

KEY WORDS: COVID-19, infection rates, mitigating effects, pandemic, infection control