Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on urology residency training

Abstract

Context: The COVID-19 pandemic has led a lot of countries worldwide to go on lockdown. Potential collateral damage is the impact of residency. Aims: The aim of this study is to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on urology training aspects, study habits of residents, and their awareness and training regarding COVID-19. Settings and Design: A questionnaire aiming to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on different urology training aspects. The questionnaire was sent to all urology residents under the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) programs. Subjects and Methods: Urology residents under SCFHS programs, excluding 1st-year residents. The questionnaire included the following sections: demographic data, studying habits during the pandemic, involvement in training before the pandemic, involvement in training during the pandemic, and training related to COVID-19. Statistical Analysis Used: Using the SPSS software, frequencies of all data were calculated, and a Wilcoxon-signed rank test was done to assess the change in ordinal data. Results: A total of 77 residents completed the survey (38% response rate). Most residents (40.5%) reported that they 'strongly agree' with the statement that they have more time for reading. There has been a decrease in on-call duties, outpatient visits, diagnostic procedures, endoscopic surgeries urology, minimally-invasive surgeries, and major open surgeries in comparison to before the pandemic, with a decrease in mean scores in all domains, especially in diagnostic procedures. Conclusions: There has been a decrease in residents' involvement in all training domains, and this has been similar to the results of other studies. E-learning sources, during these times, present themselves as a valuable source to compensate for what has been missed in training.