8,700 Studies Reviewed. 87.0% Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.
Shield Your Body
Whole Body / General

Costantini E, Aielli L, Serra F, De Dominicis L, Falasca K, Di Giovanni P, Reale M

Bioeffects Seen

Authors not listed · 2022

Share:

Hospital preparedness directly predicted surgical capacity during COVID-19, demonstrating how baseline resilience determines response to external stressors.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers developed a 23-indicator scoring system to measure hospitals' surgical preparedness and tested it across 1,632 hospitals in 119 countries during COVID-19. Hospitals with higher preparedness scores maintained more planned surgeries during the pandemic, with each 10-point increase corresponding to 3.6% better surgical volume maintenance.

Why This Matters

While this study focuses on surgical systems rather than EMF exposure, it demonstrates a critical principle we see repeatedly in EMF health research: the importance of preparedness and resilience when facing external stressors. Just as hospitals with better preparedness maintained surgical capacity during COVID-19, our bodies' cellular systems show varying resilience to electromagnetic field exposure based on their baseline health and protective mechanisms. The study's finding that preparedness varied significantly between countries mirrors what we observe with EMF exposure standards - wealthier nations often have more resources to implement protective measures, while developing countries may face greater vulnerability to both pandemic disruption and inadequate EMF safety regulations.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Cite This Study
Unknown (2022). Costantini E, Aielli L, Serra F, De Dominicis L, Falasca K, Di Giovanni P, Reale M.
Show BibTeX
@article{costantini_e_aielli_l_serra_f_de_dominicis_l_falasca_k_di_giovanni_p_reale_m_ce2346,
  author = {Unknown},
  title = {Costantini E, Aielli L, Serra F, De Dominicis L, Falasca K, Di Giovanni P, Reale M},
  year = {2022},
  doi = {10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01846-3},
  
}
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01846-3PubMed: 36328042

Quick Questions About This Study

The surgical preparedness index included 11 indicators on facilities and consumables, two on staffing, two on prioritisation, and eight on systems. These were selected from 103 candidate indicators by 69 clinicians from 32 countries through a four-stage consensus process.
74.6% of hospitals (1,217 out of 1,632) failed to maintain their expected surgical volume during COVID-19. The impact varied by income level: 51.4% of affected hospitals were in high-income countries, 44.2% in middle-income, and 4.4% in low-income countries.
The mean surgical preparedness index score was 84.5 out of 115 points globally. High-income countries averaged 88.5 points, middle-income countries 81.8 points, and low-income countries scored lowest at 66.8 points, showing significant preparedness disparities.
Each 10-point increase in surgical preparedness score corresponded to a 3.6% increase in maintained surgical volume during COVID-19. This relationship held consistent across high-income (4.8%), middle-income (2.8%), and low-income (3.8%) country settings.
The study involved 4,714 clinicians measuring surgical preparedness across 1,632 hospitals in 119 countries. Nearly half (45.6%) of participating hospitals were located in middle-income or low-income countries, providing global representation of surgical system capacity.