COVID-19 and hand surgery.

Dear Editor,

We found the publication on “COVID-19: initial experience of an international group of hand surgeons” to be very interesting [1]. Ducournau et al. described “the different measures that have been put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by hand surgeons throughout the world [1].” Indeed, COVID-19 is an important problem at present. A case of COVID-19 in hand surgery has already been reported [2]. There is no doubt that hand surgeons must recognize the scope of the problem. In fact, we agree that good protocols are required to be well prepared to manage the COVID-19 crisis. Different practices in different settings might require international standards. Nevertheless, the practices might vary depending on local context; this is necessary for responsive management of patients during the COVID-19 outbreak [3]. The methods might be different, but the aim should be the same-effective and safe management for both the patient and the practitioner.

Disclosure of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interest.