Quantifying Impact of Disruption to Radiology Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Implications for Future Training

Abstract

Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the impact on radiology resident education due to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to inform future educational planning. Methods During a 10-week study period from March 16 to May 22, 2020, changes to educational block-weeks (BW) of first through fourth year residents (R1-4) were documented as disrupted in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first 5 weeks and the second 5 weeks were evaluated separately for temporal differences. Overall and mean disrupted BW per resident were documented. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to assess pairwise differences between classes with Bonferroni-adjusted P -values, as well as differences in the early versus later phase of the pandemic. Results Of 373 BW, 56.6% were assigned to virtual curriculum, 39.4% radiology clinical duties, 2.9% illness, and 1.1% reassignment. Scheduling intervention affected 6.2 ± 2.3 (range 1-10) mean BW per resident over the 10-week study period. The R3 class experienced the largest disruption, greater than the R2 classes, and statistically significantly more than the R1 and R4 classes (both P < 0.05). The second half of the pandemic caused statistically significantly more schedule disruptions than the first half ( P = 0.009). Discussion The impact of COVID-19 pandemic varied by residency class year, with the largest disruption of the R3 class and the least disruption of the R4 class. To optimize future educational opportunities, shifting to a competency-based education paradigm may help to achieve proficiency without extending the length of the training program.

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.…”

“…More research on the downstream impacts of residents who lost dedicated radiology training as a result of redeployment is needed. 34 …”

Impact of COVID- 19 on continuity of essential health services in various health care institutions in district Amritsar, Punjab, India

“…Low clinical volume was the predominant driver of schedule disruption. 8 Financial difficulties faced during outbreak/lockdown appeared to be the most commonly cited reason for disruption in access to essential health services. This was followed by insufficient health care man power to provide the health care services.…”

La educación continua en radiología durante la COVID-19: más allá del aprendizaje a distancia

“…La integración digital que se expande de modo global también se observa en el sector salud, particularmente en el área de la enseñanza, un fenómeno que se aceleró con esta pandemia. El uso de plataformas digitales es un claro ejemplo de esta traslación 12,13 .…”