The perceived impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on medical student education and training – an international survey

Abstract: Background: The Covid-19 pandemic led to significant changes and disruptions to medical education worldwide. We evaluated medical student perceived views on training, their experiences and changes to teaching methods during the pandemic. Methods: An online survey of medical students was conducted in the Autumn of 2020. An international network of collaborators facilitated participant recruitment. Students were surveyed on their perceived overall impact of Covid-19 on their training and several exposure variables. Univariate analyses and adjusted multivariable analysis were performed to determine strengths in associations. Results: A total of 1604 eligible participants from 45 countries took part in this survey and 56.3% (n = 860) of these were female. The median age was 21 (Inter Quartile Range:21–23). Nearly half (49.6%, n = 796) of medical students were in their clinical years. The majority (n = 1356, 84.5%) were residents of a low or middle income country. A total of 1305 (81.4%) participants reported that the Covid-19 pandemic had an overall negative impact on their training. On adjusted analysis, being 21 or younger, females, those reporting a decline in conventional lectures and ward based teaching were more likely to report an overall negative impact on their training (p ≤ 0.001). However, an increase in clinical responsibilities was associated with lower odds of participants reporting a negative impact on training (p < 0.001). The participant’s resident nation economy and stage of training were associated with some of the participant training experiences surveyed (p < 0.05). Conclusion: An international cohort of medical students reported an overall significant negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on their undergraduate training. The efficacy of novel virtual methods of teaching to supplement traditional teaching methods warrants further research

The perceived global impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on doctors’ medical and surgical training: an international survey

Introduction The COVID‐19 pandemic has resulted in a significant burden on healthcare systems causing disruption to medical and surgical training of doctors globally. Aims and objectives This is the first international survey assessing the perceived impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on training of doctors of all grades and specialties. Methods An online global survey was disseminated using Survey Monkey® between 4th August 2020 and 17th November 2020. A global network of collaborators facilitated participant recruitment. Data was collated anonymously with informed consent and analysed using univariate and adjusted multivariable analysis. Results 743 doctors of median age 27 (IQR: 25‐30) were included with the majority (56.8%, n=422) being male. Two‐thirds of doctors were in a training post (66.5%, n=494), 52.9% (n=393) in a surgical specialty and 53.0% (n= 394) in low‐ and middle‐income countries. Sixty‐nine point two percent (n=514) reported an overall perceived negative impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on their training. A significant decline was noted among non‐virtual teaching methods such as face‐to‐face lectures, tutorials, ward‐based teaching, theatre sessions, conferences, simulation sessions and morbidity and mortality meetings (p≤0.05). Low or middle‐income country doctors’ training was associated with perceived inadequate supervision while performing invasive procedures under general, local or regional anaesthetic. (p≤0.05) Conclusion In addition to the detrimental impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on healthcare infrastructure, this international survey reports a widespread perceived overall negative impact on medical and surgical doctors’ training globally. Ongoing adaptation and innovation will be required to enhance the approach to doctors’ training and learning in order to ultimately improve patient care