The Impact of COVID-19 on the Training of Surgical Residents in Greece: Results of a Survey Conducted One Year after the Onset of the Pandemic

Surgical Skill Decay as a Result of the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to objectively evaluate the impact of the gap in surgical practice caused by COVID-19 on surgical skill decay.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study enrolled 148 cases of adult patients who were qualified for elective or urgent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This study compared the period of nine months before the pandemic outbreak and nine months after the end of the pandemic. We analyzed the duration of surgery, the number of intraoperative adverse events (IAEs), postoperative complications (PCs), and differences between the surgeries performed by residents and those performed by specialists.

RESULTS

The number of IAEs did not differ significantly between groups (after COVID-19 (AC) and before COVID-19 (BC)). A difficult gallbladder (DGB) was associated with an increased risk of IAEs during surgery in both groups (BC:OR = 2.94, p = 0.049; AC:OR = 2.81, p = 0.35). The multivariate analyses showed no significant differences in IAEs or PCs when the residents performed surgeries compared to specialists. The average duration of surgery was significantly longer in the post-pandemic group (BC-102.4 min vs. AC-119.9 min, p = 0.024).

CONCLUSIONS

Measurable determinants of surgical skills are the duration of surgery and the number of intraoperative adverse events. By defining this indicators, our study objectively shows that the reduction in the volume of surgeries during COVID-19 resulted in a phenomenon known as surgical skill decay.

A Study of the Current Scenario of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency during the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE

 To analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the residency of gynecology and obstetrics in São Paulo.

METHODS

 Cross-sectional study developed by representatives of residents of the Association of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the State of São Paulo (SOGESP, in the Portuguese acronym). Data were collected from questionnaires applied to gynecology and obstetrics residents registered on the SOGESP website in February 2022. The interviewees answered about the repercussions of the pandemic on medical residency and whether they had technical and psychological support during the period.

RESULTS

 A total of 247 questionnaires were collected from residents of gynecology and obstetrics. The residents had an age of 28.3 ± 3 years old, and most of them were female (88.4%). The displacement to COVID care was reported by 62.34% of the students, but only 35.6% reported completely adequate personal protective equipment and only 7.7% reported complete theoretical and technical instruction to support these patients. Almost all of the interviewees stated that the gynecology sector was the most affected. The majority of the interviewees considered that the second-year residents had the greatest loss, and more than half of the residents in the 1st and 2nd year said they wished to give up their residency during the pandemic. More than 80% of the residents reported online theoretical classes and/or presentation of articles, reinforcing the fact that virtual activities gained a greater space within the medical residency.

CONCLUSION

 The pandemic impacted the residency in greater proportion in outpatient clinics and gynecological surgeries, also interfering with the physician's desire to continue with the program.