Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Call for a National Video-Based Curriculum for Urology Residents

The State of Urotrauma Education Among Residency Programs in the United States: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Management of urotrauma is a crucial part of a urologist's knowledge and training. We therefore sought to understand the state of urotrauma education in the United States.

RECENT FINDINGS

Using themes of "Urotrauma" and "Education," we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis by searching for studies in MEDLINE, all Cochrane libraries, EMBASE, BIOSIS, Scopus, and Web of Science through May 2023. The primary outcome was the pooled rate of urology trainee and program director attitudes toward urotrauma education. Secondary outcomes involved a descriptive summary of existing urotrauma curricula and an assessment of factors affecting urotrauma exposure. Of 12,230 unique records, 11 studies met the final eligibility criteria, and we included 2 in the meta-analysis. The majority of trainees and program directors reported having level 1 trauma center rotations (range 88-89%) and considered urotrauma exposure as an important aspect of residency education (83%, 95% CI 76-88%). Despite possible increases in trainee exposure to Society of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons (GURS) faculty over the preceding decade, nearly a third of trainees and program directors currently felt there remained inadequate exposure to urotrauma during training (32%, 95% CI 19-46%). Factors affecting urotrauma education include the limited exposure to GURS-trained faculty and clinical factors such as case infrequency and non-operative trauma management. Urology resident exposure to urotrauma is inadequate in many training programs, underscoring the potential value of developing a standardized curriculum to improve urotrauma education for trainees. Further investigation is needed to characterize this issue and to understand how it impacts trainee practice readiness.

Evaluation of urology trainee preferences in didactic education: a choice-based conjoint analysis

Purpose

Didactic lectures are a commonly used educational tool during urology residency training. Recently, there has been a rapid introduction of online, collaborative didactics as a new model for resident teaching. The aim of this study is to determine which attributes of didactics education are most preferred by contemporary urology trainees.

Methods

Urology trainees were invited to complete an online choice-based exercise assessing combinations of four attributes associated with didactics education: mode of communication, learning style, presenter credentials, and curriculum design. The survey was distributed via social media platforms and the Urology Collaborative Online Video Didactics (COViD) website. A choice-based conjoint analysis was used to identify how the trainees valued different combinations of didactic education.

Results

Seventy-three trainees completed the conjoint analysis exercise. Mode of communication was rated as significantly more important than curriculum design (relative importance 28.6% vs. 19.9%). Overall, the majority preferred online/virtual presentations to in-person presentations. Respondents preferred national experts to faculty members from their local institutions, and preferred cased based lectures to didactics style lectures. A nationally standardized curriculum was also preferred over curriculum designed by local institutions. Finally, when segmented by level of training, there was increased preference for overall favored options as PGY year increased.

Conclusion

This conjoint analysis shows clear preference by trainees for online, recorded didactics, nationally standardized with national experts, and preferably in a case-based format. Academic societies in urology and program directors should consider utilizing the shared experience of previously created collaborative online lectures in developing future didactic curriculum that can meet the needs of current trainees.

Advancing Urology Resident Surgical Autonomy

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This paper aims to survey current literature on urologic graduate medical education focusing on surgical autonomy.

RECENT FINDINGS

Affording appropriate levels of surgical autonomy has a key role in the education of urologic trainees and perceived preparedness for independent practice. Recent studies in surgical resident autonomy have demonstrated a reduction in autonomy for trainees in recent years. Efforts to advance the state of modern surgical training include creation of targeted curricula, enhanced with use of surgical simulation, and structured feedback. Decline in surgical autonomy for urology residents may influence confidence after completion of their residency. Further study is needed into the declining levels of urology resident autonomy, how it affects urologists entering independent practice, and what interventions can advance autonomy in modern urologic training.

COVID-19's impact on family medicine resident training and wellness

Background

The COVID-19 global pandemic has raised many challenges in training family medicine residents. Family medicine is at the frontline for treating and managing patients with COVID-19. Attention is needed on the critical issue of the effect of the pandemic on resident training, the safety of those performing needed medical services, and the psychological well-being of trainees.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional, 25-question survey-based study to evaluate the perceived effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on family medicine residents' training and residents' well-being in the state of Texas.

Results

A total of 250 Texas-based family medicine residents were surveyed with a response rate of 12.8% (n = 32). After the pandemic began, all residents worried about exposing their loved ones to COVID-19, and 65% felt like the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted their training overall. Respondents indicated that changes occurred in their respective residency curricula that altered training such as canceling of scheduled lectures (84.3%) and more telemedicine visits (56.25%). There was a significant difference for postgraduate year level and the effect on rotation assignments, with more disruption to the first- and third-year residents (P = 0.03).

Conclusions

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a notable impact on the perception of quality of training and mental health within family medicine. Our findings may guide programs in how to proactively target pandemic-related training challenges.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Surgical Training and Education

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted conventional medical education for surgical trainees with respect to clinical training, didactics, and research. While the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgical trainees were variable, some common themes are identifiable. As hordes of COVID-19 patients entered hospitals, many surgical trainees stepped away from their curricula and were redeployed to other hospital units to care for COVID-19 patients. Moreover, the need for social distancing limited traditional educational activities. Regarding clinical training, some trainees demonstrated reduced case logs and decreased surgical confidence. For residents, fellows, and medical students alike, most didactic education transitioned to virtual platforms, leading to an increase in remote educational resources and an increased emphasis on surgical simulation. Resident research productivity initially declined, although the onset of virtual conferences provided new opportunities for trainees to present their work. Finally, the pandemic was associated with increased anxiety, depression, and substance use for some trainees. Ultimately, we are still growing our understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic has redefined surgical training and how to best implement the lessons we have learned.

Telemedicine and medical education: a mixed methods systematic review protocol

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this review is to synthesize and appraise the available research on educational strategies required to prepare medical learners for engaging in telemedicine and virtual care.

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant uptake of virtual care and telemedicine, highlighting the growing need for health care organizations and medical institutions to support physicians and learners navigating this new model of health care delivery, clinical learning, and assessment. Developing a better understanding of how best to prepare medical trainees across the continuum of undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing professional development to engage in virtual care is critical in ensuring our continued ability to meet educational mandates and provide ambulatory care that is safe, efficient, and timely.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

Eligible studies will include medical learners who receive education on how to deliver telemedicine. The quantitative component of the review will compare learners exposed to educational interventions with learners not exposed to an intervention, or to a different intervention. Outcomes will include competencies in telemedicine delivery, knowledge, and behaviors. The qualitative component of the review will explore learners' experiences with the delivery of educational strategies that address telemedicine.

METHODS

Embase, MEDLINE, Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science Core Collection, Education Source, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global will be searched to identify published and unpublished studies. No date or language restrictions will be applied. This systematic review will be conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for mixed methods systematic reviews using a convergent segregated approach. Titles and abstracts of potential studies will be screened, and potentially relevant studies will undergo full-text review for eligibility and critical appraisal of the study methodology. Data will be extracted from those studies selected for inclusion. Findings will be described relating to the effectiveness of educational curricula, initiatives, and best practices in trainee engagement in telemedicine and virtual care.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER

PROSPERO CRD42021264332.

Telemedicine use in current urologic oncology clinical practice

INTRODUCTION

In the last fifteen years, there have been important technological advances in telehealth systems and urology, along with other specialties, has been a pioneer in the successful use of this medical care modality. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telemedicine has been rapidly embraced by the urology community around the world. A review of the most relevant and updated articles on telemedicine and telehealth in urology has been carried out with the aim of better understanding how it has been implemented to date, as well as reviewing concepts, current regulations, health policies and recommendations for its implementation.

METHODS

A narrative review of the current literature published up to April 2022 on the use of telemedicine in urology was performed. From the search results, 42 publications were obtained for analysis.

RESULTS

Telemedicine in urology has been shown to be useful in a variety of clinical scenarios within urological practice, from benign diseases to advanced cancers. This is due to the positive impact on medical consultation times, lower patient mobility costs, less work absenteeism and greater protection for both the patient and the doctor. The main limitations for the use of telemedicine lie in the impossibility of a correct physical examination, which is essential in certain situations, as well as the lack of accessibility to technology in disadvantaged populations and in elderly patients who have not adapted to the use of technology, as well as the lack of development of health policies to establish their implementation in some countries.

CONCLUSION

Telemedicine is in full growth. There is much information in the current literature on the successful adoption of telemedicine for patients suffering from urological diseases. While the use and implementation of these new practices has been rapid in the urology community, more work is needed to bring more accessible specialty care to underserved and underdeveloped areas. Health policies must promote its development to reduce costs and increase access.

Impact of COVID-19 - Experiences of 5th year medical students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

BACKGROUND

The global pandemic associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had a considerable effect on higher education in South Africa, with online instruction replacing traditional lectures for many students. Medical students were required to vacate their residences in March 2020 but returned to campus in July 2020 to enable them to continue with clinical teaching and learning. The aim of this study was to understand the learning experiences of 5th year medical students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) during 2020.

METHODS

This was a qualitative study conducted via Zoom in December 2020 with 18 students in four focus group discussions and four semi-structured interviews. These were all facilitated by an independent researcher with experience in qualitative research. All the interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed qualitatively through the identification of codes, categories and themes.

RESULTS

The following major themes emerged: A stressful and at times an overwhelming year, mental health issues, developing strategies to cope, and issues that related to teaching and learning.

CONCLUSION

The disruptions caused by COVID-19, the lockdown, a condensed academic programme and uncertainty about their competency resulted in high levels of anxiety and stress among medical students. Participants highlighted strategies that had helped them to cope with the isolation and academic pressures. Given the large volume of work, careful thought needs to be given to what should be taught and how it should be taught to ensure that graduates have the competencies they need to practise.

The Use of Social Media to Deliver Surgical Education in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND

As clinical rotations were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with surgical specialty being the one most severely affected among all disciplines, social media had become increasingly used for surgical education. We aimed to identify and present the application of social media as an essential tool for surgical education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A literature review was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for potentially eligible articles published until April 2021. The review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

RESULTS

A total of 23 articles were identified and systematically reviewed that related to the application of social media use in surgical education during the COVID-19 pandemic. These may be grouped into 3 discrete categories (online learning, scientific research, networking) and 14 topics (online resources, virtual conferencing, preparing for exams, etc.).

CONCLUSIONS

Social media has played a multidimensional critical role in training surgical students and residents in the COVID-19 era, with special superiority that cannot be substituted by other online tools.

Online Collaborative Learning in Urology

REASON FOR REVIEW

A recent shift towards use of telehealth and remote learning has significant implications on resident and fellow education in urology. Implementation of multi-institutional online didactic programs, spurred on by the COVID epidemic, has changed the traditional resident teaching paradigm from individual institutional silos of knowledge and expertise to a shared nationwide database of learning.  RECENT FINDINGS: In this article, we explore the current trend towards virtual education and its progress to date, lessons learned on the optimization of this teaching modality, and future direction and sustainability of collaborated, standardized and accessible didactic education in urology. Multi-institutional collaborative remote video didactics has emerged as a critical part of resident education. These lectures have been overwhelmingly successful and have persisted beyond the pandemic to become a part of the urologic training curricula. This collaborative and standardized approach to resident education provides access to national and international experts, encourages cross-institutional collaboration and discussion, and builds a repository of lectures with easy access for learners. Utilization of this teaching modality will continue to be impactful in urologic training and will require ongoing efforts and input from both collaborating intuitions and professional societies to continue to improve on and engage in this important learning tool.

The Zoom Boom: How Video Calling Impacts Attitudes Towards Aesthetic Surgery in the COVID-19 Era

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the widespread adoption of video calling. A parallel growth in aesthetic surgery demand has been documented.

Objectives

To identify associations between video call engagement and aesthetic surgery attitudes.

Methods

We distributed a cross-sectional survey via Amazon Mechanical Turk in November 2020. Respondents were asked to report their time spent video calling, video calling applications and features (eg, virtual backgrounds) they used, and aesthetic surgery attitudes using the 15-item Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale (ACSS; higher scores indicate greater acceptance). We compared ACSS scores between video call users and non-users using Student’s t-tests. We used Pearson’s correlation coefficient to quantify associations between ACSS scores and time spent on calls and multivariable analysis to estimate associations between video call engagement and ACSS scores.

Results

A total of 295 respondents (mean age, 37.6; 49.5% female) completed the survey. Across all video call applications surveyed, video call users had higher ACSS scores than non-users. Increased time respondents spent looking at their own face on video call was moderately associated with higher ACSS scores (r=0.48, P<0.01), while time spent looking at another person’s face was not associated with a change in ACSS scores (r=0.09, P=0.11). Increased video call use was associated with higher ACSS scores.

Conclusions

Increased video calling use is associated with increased acceptance of aesthetic surgery. Although the clinical significance of ACSS scores can be better elucidated, plastic surgeons should consider the effects of video calling on patient motivations for aesthetic surgery in the COVID-19 era.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Urology Residents: a Narrative Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges for urology resident education. In this review, we discuss the pandemic's impact on urology trainees and their education.

RECENT FINDINGS

Urology trainees were often redeployed to frontline services in unfamiliar clinical settings. Residents often experienced increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Many programs instituted virtual "check-ins" and formed liaisons with mental health services to foster cohesiveness. Urology trainees experienced the integration of telehealth into the clinical realm. Virtual surgery lectures and simulations were utilized to augment surgical education. Academic governing bodies upheld resident protections and provided dynamic guidance for training requirement throughout the pandemic. Medical students were unable to participate in traditional in-person away rotations and interviews, complicating the residency application process. The COVID-19 pandemic shook the healthcare system and ushered in seismic changes for urology trainees worldwide. Though the longstanding effects of the pandemic remain to be seen, urology residents have demonstrated tremendous resilience and bravery throughout this challenging period, and those qualities will undeniably withstand the test of time.

A 25-year perspective on advances in the study of the epidemiology, disparities, and outcomes of urologic cancers

In this narrative review, key developments in epidemiologic and clinical outcomes-based research from eminent historical data sources over the past quarter century are summarized. We then describe the rise of secondary and administrative datasets (AD), summarizing the predominant types of available secondary datasets for contemporary research and describe the benefits and inherent limitations in working with secondary data. We review the methodological advances that permit researchers to capitalize on the full capability of secondary data while also addressing the limitations inherent in utilizing these data for the purposes of epidemiologic and outcomes research. Finally, we present candidate strategies to perpetuate this momentum towards optimizing the development of clinical research infrastructure that harnesses the full potential of the ADs to further clinical and epidemiological research, advancing data analysis, and address the many unanswered questions that remain.

COVID-19 and slowdown of residents' activity: Feedback from a novel e-learning event and overview of the literature

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of an e-learning online event, created for supporting resident's training during the slowdown of surgical and clinical activities caused by COVID-19 pandemic. An overview of PubMed literature depicting the state of the art of urology residency in the COVID-19 era was performed as well, to contextualize the issue.

METHODS

An online learning event for residents was set up at the beginning of the pandemic; the faculty consisted of experts in urology who provided on-line lectures and videos on surgical anatomy, procedures, updates in guidelines, technology, training. The audience was composed of 30-500 attendees from Italy, USA, India and Belgium. A questionnaire to analyze relevance, satisfaction and popularity of the lessons was mailed to 30 local residents.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

Almost all residents defined the web environment suitable to achieve the learning outcomes; the method, the number and the competence of the faculty were appropriate/excellent. Most of the younger residents (81.8%) stated their surgical knowledge would improve after the course; 72.7% declared they would take advantage into routine inpatients clinical activity. Nineteen more expert residents agreed that the course would improve their surgical knowledge and enhance their practical skills; almost all stated that the initiative would change their outpatients and inpatients practice. Overall, 44 articles available in PubMed have addressed the concern of urological learning and training during the pandemic from different standpoints; four of them considered residents' general perception towards web-based learning programs.

CONCLUSIONS

The paper confirms residents' satisfaction with e-learning methods and, to our knowledge, is the first one focusing on a specific event promptly settled up at the beginning of the outbreak. Web-based educational experience developed during the pandemic may represent the very basis for the implementation of prospective on-site training and overall scientific update of future urologists.

How the COVID-19 pandemic changed urology residency - a nationwide survey from the Portuguese resident's perspective

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this article was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on urology residency.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A 30 question online survey was sent to all urology residents in Portugal between the 25th of April and the 25th of May 2020. Reduction in different areas of clinical activity during the COVID-19 period were evaluated and their perceived impact on their residency program was quantified.

RESULTS

Forty-three (54.4%) Portuguese urology residents responded to our inquiry. Eighty-one percent report having supressed their activity by more than 75% in the outpatient clinic; 48.8% in diagnostic procedures; 29.3% in endoscopic surgery; 67.5% in laparoscopic/robotic surgery and 17.5% in major open surgery. There were no differences in clinical activity reduction across residency years. Considering the impact of COVID-19 on urology training programs, 32.6% plan on prolonging residency. During the COVID-19 period, a larger number of residents report having spent more time developing research projects or on continuing medical education, as compared with the pre-COVID-19 period (p = 0.012).

CONCLUSIONS

COVID-19 had a major impact on Urology residency in Portugal, with major short- and long-term consequences. A large proportion of residents are considering prolonging their residency as a result.

The Feasibility and Efficacy of a Multi-Institutional Urology Boot Camp for Incoming Urology Residents

OBJECTIVES

To determine the feasibility and perceived usefulness of a pre-residency urology boot camp for first and second year urology residents.

METHODS

First and second year urology residents attended a multi-institutional boot camp in July 2019, which consisted of lectures, a hands-on practical, patient simulation session, and networking social event. Attendees completed a pre-course survey where they rated their comfort level in managing interpersonal, post-operative, and urology-specific scenarios on a Likert scale of 0-5. Participants completed follow-up surveys immediately and 6 months after the course regarding confidence in managing the same scenarios and the impact of boot camp on their training.

RESULTS

6 urology PGY1s (55%) and 5 PGY2s (45%) from 4 institutions attended the boot camp. On the precourse survey, PGY2s had higher average comfort scores compared to PGY1s for all post-operative scenarios besides hypotension but just 2 urology-specific scenarios, difficult Foley troubleshooting (4 vs 3, P < .01) and obstructing urolithiasis with urosepsis (3.6 vs 2.2, P = .05). Immediately after the course, 10 of 11 (91%) residents reported feeling better prepared to handle all scenarios. All participants reported they would recommend this training to other urology residents. Six months later, the majority of respondents reported using knowledge learned in boot camp on a daily basis. All agreed that it was a useful networking experience, and 63% had since contacted other residents they met at the course.

CONCLUSION

A pre-residency boot camp is both feasible and valuable for first- and second-year urology residents for gaining practical medical knowledge and professional networking.