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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2021; 25(03): e339-e342
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1730019
Original Research
Special Article COVID-19

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Head and Neck Surgery Training: A Brazilian National Survey

Ana Kober Leite 
1   Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo/Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Leandro Luongo Matos 
1   Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo/Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Claudio R. Cernea 
1   Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo/Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Luiz Paulo Kowalski 
1   Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo/Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Abstract

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has had a high impact on surgical training around the world due to required measures regarding the suspension of elective procedures and the dismissal of nonessential personnel.

Objectives To understand the impact the pandemic had on head and neck surgery training in Brazil.

Methods We conducted a 29-question online survey with head and neck surgery residents in Brazil, assessing the impact the pandemic had on their training.

Results Forty-six residents responded to the survey, and 91.3% of them reported that their residency was affected by the pandemic, but most residents were not assigned to work directly with patients infected with the new coronavirus (71.4%). All residents reported decrease in clinic visits and in surgical procedures, mostly an important reduction of ∼ 75%. A total of 56.5% of the residents described that the pandemic has had a negative impact on their mental, health and only 4 (8.7%) do not have any symptoms of burnout. The majority (78.3%) of the residents reported that educational activities were successfully adapted to online platforms, and 37% were personally infected with the virus.

Conclusion Most surgical residencies were greatly affected by the pandemic, and residents had an important decrease in surgical training. Educational activities were successfully adapted to online modalities, but the residency programs should search for ways of trying to compensate for the loss of practical activities.

Keywords

Internship And Residency - surgery - COVID-19 - head and neck


Publication History

Received: 04 December 2020

Accepted: 15 February 2021

Article published online:
25 June 2021

© 2021. Fundação Otorrinolaringologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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