COVID-19 Infection and Symptoms Among Emergency Medicine Residents and Fellows in an Urban Academic Hospital Setting: Cross-sectional Questionnaire Study

Abstract

Background COVID-19, an illness caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, affected many aspects of health care worldwide in 2020. From March to May 2020, New York City experienced a large surge of cases. Objective The aim of this study is to characterize the prevalence of illness and symptoms experienced by residents and fellows in 2 New York City hospitals during the period of March to May 2020. Methods An institutional review board–exempt survey was distributed to emergency medicine housestaff in May 2020, and submissions were accepted through August 2020. Results Out of 104 residents and fellows, 64 responded to our survey (a 61.5% response rate). Out of 64 responders, 27 (42%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Most residents experienced symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19; however, few received polymerase chain reaction testing. Out of 27 housestaff with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, 18 (67%) experienced fever and chills, compared with 8 out of 34 housestaff (24%) without SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Of the 27 housestaff with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, 19 (70%) experienced loss of taste and smell, compared with 2 out of 34 housestaff (6%) without SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Both fever and chills and loss of taste and smell were significantly more commonly experienced by antibody-positive compared to antibody-negative housestaff (P=.002 and <.001, respectively). All 13 housestaff who reported no symptoms during the study period tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that in our hospitals, the rate of COVID-19 illness among emergency department housestaff was much higher than previously reported. Further studies are needed to characterize illness among medical staff in emergency departments across the nation. The high infection rate among emergency medicine trainees stresses the importance of supplying adequate personal protective equipment for health care professionals.

Medical Knowledge Acquisition during a Pandemic: Pediatric Subspecialty in-Training Examination and Board Certification Exam Passing Rate

“…Infection rates among trainees also likely varied across regions, with some trainees unable to prepare for or take the exam. 34 Interpretation of SITE scores as an indicator of program performance is difficult given it is a one-day test and as such may include bias due to non-random missingness. Despite increases in the number of applicants to pediatric subspecialties during the pandemic, 35 many programs did not require their fellows to take SITE in 2021 and 2022, with refunds being offered by ABP.…”

Incidence of unknown COVID-19 infection in a cohort of emergency physicians and advance practice providers

“…To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate this question specifically amongst EDPs providing care to COVID-19 infected individuals post vaccination roll-outs. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, there were several studies that evaluated for the presence of SAR-CoV-2 antibodies in HCWs, reporting a prevalence ranging from 5 to 42% [ [1] , [2] , [3] , 10 ]. Important to note that this was a time many institutions lacked appropriate PPE.…”

“…Emergency department providers (EDPs) including physicians, residents, and Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) have experienced some of the highest exposure rates with individuals infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Studies following the initial wave of infections suggested confirmed positive rates in physicians and APPs ranging from 5 to 40% [ 1 , 2 ]. Following the availability of COVID-19 vaccines in December of 2020, the incidence of infection in health care workers (HCWs) had significantly decreased.…”

Peer Review of “COVID-19 Infection and Symptoms Among Emergency Medicine Residents and Fellows in an Urban Academic Hospital Setting: Cross-sectional Questionnaire Study”

“…Proper usage of these terminologies is mandatory and should be corrected throughout the manuscript. The authors [1] have done a fine job in addressing their shortcomings and my previous comments. I only have a few more minor comments that need to be addressed:…”