Orthopaedic training during COVID-19 pandemic: should action be taken?

Abstract

Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020, drastic changes have affected all aspects of life [1]. Education was not far apart from the dynamic situation, particularly orthopaedic residency, and fellowship training. While medical specialties were the workhorse of the medical service, orthopaedic surgery and other surgical subspecialties were pushed aside. Twenty-five to fifty percent of orthopaedic trainees were redeployed to medical and ICU services and recruited as frontline responders [2,3]. For those who remained in orthopaedic services, the workload was reduced, or trainees worked in alternate teams with a specific period on-duty followed by a certain period in isolation or off-duty [3,4]. The operating time spent by trainees for trauma and elective surgeries and the clinic was significantly reduced [5,6]. In the UK, the authorities urged the consultants to be the first surgeons in surgeries that otherwise a trainee can do to decrease the operative time [7]. The pandemic even changed the practice in some regions of the world where trauma cases that were typically managed surgically were treated conservatively [8]. Although the pattern of loss of training opportunities was not uniform globally [3], we assume that all world regions were affected to some extent.To provide an updated evaluation of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on orthopaedic training worldwide, we conducted a concise 6-questions survey. It involved a single choice answer to questions including nationality, professionalism, personal opinion of the level of affection, any actions, or modifications from the notational body responsible for training, and finally, subjective opinion about the negative drawback on developing competent future consultants. The survey was accomplished under the umbrella * Marius M. Scarlat

Growth in musculoskeletal pathology worldwide: the role of Société Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopédique et de Traumatologie and publications

“…Although lifelong learning is a prerequisite for safe professional practice in orthopaedic surgery, the main driver is to ensure that surgeons from each country participate in effective Continuing Professional Development (CPD), including Continuing Medical Education (CME) that continues beyond university and professional qualification. Legislation on the requirements for individual doctors to participate and demonstrate that participation is therefore devolved to the individual nations or orthopaedic societies [42,43]. The result is that no unified professional standard that applies across the world sets out the requirements for individual doctors.…”

Letter to the Editor: “Orthopaedic training during COVID-19 pandemic: should action be taken?”

“…We read the article with great interest by Abdelazeem et al “Orthopaedic training during COVID-19 pandemic: should action be taken?” [ 1 ]. It gave valuable insight into the perspective of residents and physicians during the pandemic globally.…”