Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Jul 23:57:127-132.
doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2020.07.025. eCollection 2020 Sep.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on residency and fellowship training programs in Saudi Arabia: A nationwide cross-sectional study

Ameera Balhareth  1 , Mohammed Abdulrazzaq AlDuhileb  1 , Fozan A Aldulaijan  1 , Mohammed Yousef Aldossary  1
Affiliations

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on residency and fellowship training programs in Saudi Arabia: A nationwide cross-sectional study

Ameera Balhareth et al. Ann Med Surg (Lond). .

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has profoundly impacted residency and fellowship training and education. However, how and to what extent the daily involvement of trainees in clinical and surgical activities was compromised by the COVID-19 pandemic is currently unknown.

Materials and methods: We conducted an electronic survey. An invitation was sent through the executive training administration of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) randomly to 400 residents and fellows over two weeks period from April 23, 2020 until May 6, 2020. Descriptive statistics were presented using counts and proportions (%). The comparison between the trainees among the socio-demographic and the characteristics of trainees toward the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on their training had been conducted using the Chi-square test. A p-value cut off point of 0.05 at 95% Confidence Interval (CI) used to determine statistical significance.

Results: Out of the 400 questionnaires distributed, 240 trainees responded, resulting in a response rate of 60%. The most frequently cited specialty was surgical (41.3%) and medical (38.3%). Approximately 43% of them had direct contact with patients with COVID-19, and 43.8% had enough training regarding the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). There were seven responders (2.9%) who had been infected by the disease. Among them, 6 (2.5%) members of their family had also been infected. Approximately 84.6% reported a reduction in training activities due to the current pandemic. Of those with surgical specialties, almost all (97%) reported that their surgical exposure reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusion: The adoption of smart learning is critical. For those who have been affected by examination delays, we recommend continuing to revise steadily using webinars, podcasts, prerecorded sessions, and social media. Routine activities such as journal clubs and departmental teaching should continue through webinars, if possible.

Keywords: COVID-19; Fellowship training; Pandemic; Residency training; Saudi Arabia; Survey.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

References

    1. Naspro R., Da Pozzo L.F. Urology in the time of corona. Nat. Rev. Urol. 2020 doi: 10.1038/s41585-020-0312-1. [Epub ahead of print] - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jebril N. World Health Organization Declared a Pandemic Public Health Menace: A Systematic Review of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 “COVID-19”, up to 26th March 2020. Available at SSRN 3566298. 2020 Apr 1.
    1. Ficarra V., Novara G., Abrate A. Urology practice during COVID-19 pandemic. Minerva Urol. Nefrol. 2020 doi: 10.23736/S0393-2249.20.03846-1. [Epub ahead of print] - DOI - PubMed
    1. Porpiglia F., Checcucci E., Amparore D. Slowdown of urology residents’ learning curve during COVID-19 emergency. BJU Int. 2020;125(6) doi: 10.1111/bju.15076. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Agha R.A., Borrelli M.R., Vella-Baldacchino M., Thavayogan R., Orgill D.P., for the STROCSS Group The STROCSS statement: strengthening the reporting of cohort studies in surgery. Int. J. Surg. 2017;46:198–202. - PMC - PubMed