Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Training and Well-Being in Radiology Residency: A National Survey of Diagnostic Radiology Trainees in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objectives: To understand and report the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on radiology residents in Saudi Arabia with respect to their education, clinical activities, and personal well-being. Methods:The survey questionnaire was designed by a team of experts based on a review of the literature and was distributed electronically through the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties to residents registered in all radiology residency training programs in Saudi Arabia during the academic year 2019 to 2020. Categorical variables were presented as counts and percentage. Numerical variables were presented as mean and standard deviation if normally distributed. Chi-square testing was used to compare categorical variables with the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Spearman correlation was used to correlate numerical variables at the level of significance p-value < 0.05.Results: A total of 109 residents completed the online survey during the study period, with a response rate of 32.2% (109/337). The mean age was 27.3 years (standard deviation, 1.86). The majority of respondents (71.5%, 78/109) reported either a severe or moderate negative impact on educational activities. Also, the majority (73.4%, 80/109) reported either a minimal or moderate negative impact on clinical activities. Residents training in the western province perceived a statistically higher negative impact on educational activities compared to their peers in other regions (p = 0.01). Residents in their second year of residency training perceived a statistically higher negative impact on their participation in clinical activities (p = 0.014). Less than half of the respondents (45.9%, 50/109) reported that they were redeployed to work in another department. The majority (80%, 40/50) reported a negative impact on their well-being. Conclusion:The majority of radiology residents in Saudi Arabia reported a negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their education, clinical activities, and personal well-being. Our study also identified and explored some of the innovative solutions and strategies implemented by the training programs and the SCFHS to mitigate the negative effects on trainees.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Radiology Resident Education: Where Do We Go From Here?

“… 47 The disruption experienced by radiology residents appeared to differ between junior and senior residents, however, this appeared to vary between institutions and may have been related to the extent of redeployment. 4 , 13 , 34 , 35 , 37 , 48 Specifically, the perceived negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on resident training appeared to differ based on the toll of COVID-19 in the region. 48 Some residents felt it difficult to have the responsibility of covering multiple large hospitals during COVID-19, 7 although for some, on-call responsibilities did not appear to change very much during the pandemic.…”

“… 46 Despite undergoing changes, program directors and residents felt that learning standards were being adequately addressed for knowledge and interpretation, but case volumes and technical skills were lacking. 9 , 47 Some institutions reported that residents felt their education was negatively impacted by the circumstances of the pandemic, 35 but similar levels of competence 9 appeared to be displayed. However, there is currently very limited data on objective measures of radiology resident competence following education changes due to the pandemic.…”

“… 31 The extent of redeployment varied between institutions, which was dependent on regional COVID-19 case rates. 4 , 11 , 27 , 35 , 36 Although redeployment could limit refinement of diagnostic radiology skills, there may be a role for radiology resident exposure to direct patient care activities, as seen in residents redeployed to intensive care wards. 37 These experiences with patients and their family members provides important clinical context for radiologists-in-training.…”

“… 22 Access to mental health resources appeared to be plentiful, but some residents were not aware of the resources available and how to access them. 8 , 22 , 35 , 36 The circumstances of the pandemic have highlighted a shortcoming in awareness of available mental health resources and residency programs in the future should promote the existence of these resources for residents ( Table 1 ).…”

Impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on medical genetics and genomics training: Perspective from clinical trainees

“…Residency and fellowship training programs have faced unique challenges pertaining to ensuring the safety and well‐being of trainee physicians, while optimizing learning as conventional educational approaches were confronted with disruptions to clinical service and canceled in‐person activities. Several surveys of medical trainees have demonstrated that the pandemic has adversely affected training; findings include worsened quality of life and work‐life balance (Li et al, 2020 ; Pivert et al, 2021 ), an increase in reported stress, anxiety, burnout, and/or depression (Alhasan et al, 2021 ; Cravero et al, 2020 ; Khan et al, 2021 ; Khusid et al, 2020 ; Rana et al, 2020 ; Sanghavi et al, 2020 ; Zoorob et al, 2021 ), a decline in operative and procedural volume (Khan et al, 2021 ; Khusid et al, 2020 ; Rana et al, 2020 ; Zoia et al, 2020 ), increased work hours (Cravero et al, 2020 ), growing concerns over professional development and career goals (Cravero et al, 2020 ), and an overall negative impact on clinical education (Alhasan et al, 2021 ; Li et al, 2020 ; Rana et al, 2020 ).…”