A survey assessing the early effects of COVID-19 pandemic on oral and maxillofacial surgery training programs

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has specific implications for oral and maxillofacial surgeons due to an increased risk of exposure to the virus during surgical procedures of the aero-digestive tract. The objective of this survey was to evaluate how the COVID-19 pandemic affected oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) training programs during the early phase of the pandemic. Methods A cross-sectional survey was sent to the program directors of 95 out of the 101 accredited OMFS training programs between April 3 rd and May 6 th , 2020. The 35- question survey designed using Qualtrics software, to elicit information about the impact of COVID-19 on OMFS residency programs and the specific modifications made to clinical care, PPE and resident training/wellness to meet the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results The survey response rate from OMFS program directors was 35% (33/95) with most responses from states with high incidence of COVID19. All OMFS programs (100%) implemented guidelines to suspend elective and non-urgent surgical procedures and limited ambulatory clinic visits by third week of March, with an average date of March 16 th , 2020 (Date range March 8 th -23 rd ). Programs used telemedicine (40%) and modified in-person visit (51%) protocols for dental and maxillofacial emergency triage to minimize exposure risk of HCP to SARS CoV2. PPE shortage was experienced by 51% of the programs. Almost two-thirds (63%) of the respondents recommended the use of a filtered respirator (i.e., N95 respirator) with full face shield as their preferred PPE, while 21% recommended Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPRs) during OMFS procedures. Only (73%) of the programs had resources for resident wellness and stress reduction. Virtual didactic training sessions conducted on digital platforms, most commonly “Zoom” formed a major part of education for all programs. Conclusion All programs promptly responded to the pandemic by making appropriate changes to suspend elective surgery and, to limit patient care to emergent and urgent services. OMFS training programs should give more consideration to provide residents with adequate stress reduction resources to maintain their wellbeing and training to minimize exposure risk during an evolving global epidemic.

The impact of COVID-19 on surgical training: a systematic review

“…Impact was minimised as 82% (25/31) of fellows had already met the operative requirements for certification by the onset of the pandemic. In 2 survey-based studies of oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) trainees in the United States, the pandemic had an impact on the scheduling of elective and non-urgent operations [19,20]. More than 97% reported that all elective cases had ceased and 83.6% reported that the scheduling of urgent and emergency cases had been affected [20].…”

The impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 on maxillofacial surgery training in Portugal: The resident's perspective

“…Some publications have addressed the impact of COVID-19 in MFS training ( Brar et al, 2020 )( Huntley et al, 2020 ). These either focus on the perspective of training program directors or are from non-European settings.…”

“…( Saibene et al, 2020 ) in order to minimize viral spread and protect their staff. The impact of these measures on medical education is fairly unknown with some studies reporting the reality of their countries’ maxillofacial surgery training programs ( Brar et al, 2021 )( Huntley et al, 2020 ) but falling short in incorporating the perspective of one key element: the residents.…”

The Impact of COVID-19 on Surgical Training: the Past, the Present and the Future

“…These reports come both from developed [ 13 , 21 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 31 – 34 , 44 – 52 ] and developing countries [ 28 , 30 , 35 , 53 – 55 ] with very different healthcare systems. Moreover, the results were uniform between a variety of surgical specialties; general surgery [ 13 , 19 , 21 , 30 , 32 , 34 , 37 , 41 , 42 , 44 , 47 , 56 , 57 ], orthopaedics [ 19 , 24 , 58 ], ENT (ear, nose, throat) surgery [ 19 , 31 , 50 ], vascular surgery [ 19 , 22 , 26 ], urology [ 22 , 26 , 53 ], oral and maxillofacial surgery [ 19 , 33 ], and neurosurgery [ 19 , 54 , 59 ].…”