Sustaining a national surgical training programme during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all segments of daily life, with the healthcare sector being at the forefront of this upheaval. Unprecedented efforts have been taken worldwide to curb this ongoing global catastrophe that has already resulted in many fatalities. One of the areas that has received little attention amid this turmoil is the disruption to trainee education, particularly in specialties that involve acquisition of procedural skills. Hand surgery in Singapore is a standalone combined programme that relies heavily on dedicated cross-hospital rotations, an extensive didactic curriculum and supervised hands-on training of increasing complexity. All aspects of this training programme have been affected because of the cancellation of elective surgical procedures, suspension of cross-hospital rotations, redeployment of residents, and an unsustainable duty roster. There is a real concern that trainees will not be able to meet their training requirements and suffer serious issues like burnout and depression. The long-term impact of suspending training indefinitely is a severe disruption of essential medical services. This article examines the impact of a global pandemic on trainee education in a demanding surgical speciality. We have outlined strategies to maintain trainee competencies based on the following considerations: 1) the safety and wellbeing of trainees is paramount; 2) resource utilization must be thoroughly rationalized; 3) technology and innovative learning methods must supplant traditional teaching methods; and 4) the changes implemented must be sustainable. We hope that these lessons will be valuable to other training programs struggling to deliver quality education to their trainees, even as we work together to battle this global catastrophe.

Randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of mass and spaced learning in microsurgical procedures using computer aided assessment

“…Our results also support an initiative to ensure surgical trainees routinely practice microsurgical suturing at regular intervals to improve currency and retention of this complex skill set. Such efforts are relatively inexpensive, because they do not require live animal models and may be used to maintain surgical competency even in the absence of clinical cases, such as during the current COVID pandemic 13 . The potential impact of the superior results witnessed with spaced learning also extends beyond microsurgical skills training; spaced learning can be adopted in undergraduate basic surgical skills training or in re-certification courses for surgeons.…”

Latin American Residents’ Surgical Education After the Pandemic: What Strategies Have Emerged for Adapting to This New Era?

“…Multiple options were reported regarding the manufacture of laparoscopic simulators, where homemade ones had a cost between US$4 and 300, while commercial ones between US$85 and 6,000 14 , 33 , 38 , 39 , 56 . Notably, 55% of home simulators were included in validated studies, compared to 92% of commercial ones.…”

The impact of distance cataract surgical wet laboratory training on cataract surgical competency of ophthalmology residents

“…Another consideration is the recent Corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which resulted in many ophthalmology departments closing or severely reducing their patient volume. This coupled with the need to practice social distancing, left many residents with limited access to traditional in-person hands-on training and clinical learning opportunities, essentially disrupting surgical training at a global level [ 33 ]. During COVID-19, many medical training institutions were forced to rethink how they delivered education, and explore the use of virtual teaching, distance learning and simulation, to meet the training needs of their learners [ 34 ].…”