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. 2020 Oct 24;4(3):156-162.
doi: 10.1093/jcag/gwaa034. eCollection 2021 Jun.

COVID-19 and Canadian Gastroenterology Trainees

Rishad Khan  1 , Parul Tandon  2 , Michael A Scaffidi  3 , Kirles Bishay  2 , Katarzyna M Pawlak  4 , Jan Kral  5 , Sunil Amin  6 , Mohammad Bilal  7 , Rashid N Lui  8 , Dalbir S Sandhu  9 , Almoutaz Hashim  10 , Steven Bollipo  11 , Aline Charabaty  12 , Enrique de-Madaria  13 , Andrés F Rodríguez-Parra  14 , Sergio A Sánchez-Luna  15 , Michał Żorniak  16 , Keith Siau  17   18 , Catharine M Walsh  19   20   21 , Samir C Grover  1   2   3   22
Affiliations

COVID-19 and Canadian Gastroenterology Trainees

Rishad Khan et al. J Can Assoc Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted endoscopy services and education worldwide. This study aimed to characterize the impact of COVID-19 on gastroenterology trainees in Canada.

Methods: An analysis of Canadian respondents from the international EndoTrain survey, open from April 11 to May 2 2020 and distributed by program directors, trainees, and national and international gastroenterology societies' representatives, was completed. The survey included questions on monthly endoscopy volume, personal protective equipment availability, trainee well-being and educational resources. The primary outcome was change in procedural volume during the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondary outcomes included trainee's professional and personal concerns, anxiety and burnout.

Results: Thirty-four Canadian trainees completed the survey. Per month, participants completed a median of 30 esophagogastroduodenoscopies (interquartile range 16 to 50) prior to the pandemic compared to 2 (0 to 10) during the pandemic, 20 (8 to 30) compared to 2 (0 to 5) colonoscopies and 3 (1 to 10) compared to 0 (0 to 3) upper gastrointestinal bleeding procedures. There was a significant decrease in procedural volumes between the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 time periods for all procedures (P < 0.001). Thirty (88%) trainees were concerned about personal COVID-19 exposure, 32 (94%) were concerned about achieving and/or maintaining clinical competence and 24 (71%) were concerned about prolongation of training time due to the pandemic. Twenty-six (79%) respondents experienced some degree of anxiety, and 10 (31%) experienced some degree of burnout.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially impacted gastroenterology trainees in Canada. As the pandemic eases, it important for gastrointestinal programs to adapt to maximize resident learning, maintain effective clinical care and ensure development of endoscopic competence.

Keywords: COVID-19; Education; Endoscopy.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Self-reported case volume prior and during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The median is represented by the dark horizontal bar which intersects each of the three vertical bars. The 25th and 75th percentiles are represented by the bottom and top ends of the vertical bar, respectively. The error bars represent the lowest and highest number of monthly procedures reported.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Self-reported reduction in esophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy and upper gastrointestinal bleeding case volume. The median is represented by the dark horizontal bar which intersects each of the three vertical bars. The 25th and 75th percentiles are represented by the bottom and top ends of the vertical bar respectively. The bottom error bar represents the smallest percentage change in procedural volume reported.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Level of concern about coronavirus disease 2019 and personal risk of exposure, clinical competence and potential prolongation of training.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
(A) Severity of self-reported anxiety symptoms, based on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (6); (B) rates of burnout, based on a single-item burnout scale (7).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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