Department of Orthopaedics, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.
School of Medicine, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2021 Nov 2;82(11):1-9. doi: 10.12968/hmed.2021.0442. Epub 2021 Nov 10.
In recent years, the number of people pursuing a surgical career in the UK has decreased. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the cancellation of surgical placements for medical students and has affected surgical education. This study evaluates the perceptions and impact of a 1-day virtual surgical conference for medical students considering pursuing a surgical career.
All delegates of the 2021 Barts and The London International Surgical Conference were invited to participate in two online surveys pre- and post-conference. Data were collected and analysed to evaluate delegates' reasons for attending the conference, and attitudes towards virtual conferences and a surgical career before and after the conference.
Out of 132 participants, 106 (80.3%) completed both the pre- and post-conference surveys. Clinical students showed a statistically significant difference in interest in pursuing a surgical career after the conference than before (=0.03), unlike pre-clinical students (=0.12). Post-conference, 43 (40.6%) preferred a virtual to a face-to-face conference, which was a slight increase from 40 (37.7%) pre-conference, while 73 (68.9%) and 80 (75.5%) participants favoured virtual talks and presentations respectively. In contrast, only 12 (11.3%) and 21 (19.8%) students preferred workshops and networking virtually. Furthermore, delegates liked the global accessibility and environmentally-friendly nature of virtual conferences but found they can be less engaging and be disrupted by a poor internet connection.
Virtual surgical conferences have many benefits and can help encourage medical students towards a surgical career. They could help bridge the surgical educational gap in medical school during these unprecedented times. Virtual conferences, which have a broader and more inclusive reach, could be an important complement to conventional conferences after the pandemic.
近年来，英国从事外科职业的人数有所减少。新冠疫情导致医学生的外科实习机会被取消，并影响了外科教育。本研究评估了 1 天虚拟外科会议对考虑从事外科职业的医学生的看法和影响。
邀请 2021 年 Barts 和伦敦国际外科会议的所有代表参加会前和会后的两项在线调查。收集和分析数据，以评估代表参加会议的原因，以及会议前后对虚拟会议和外科职业的态度。
在 132 名参与者中，有 106 名（80.3%）完成了会前和会后的调查。与临床学生（=0.03）相比，医学生对从事外科职业的兴趣在会议后有统计学上的显著差异，而不是在会前（=0.12）。会后，43 名（40.6%）更喜欢虚拟会议而不是面对面会议，这一比例略高于会前的 40 名（37.7%），而 73 名（68.9%）和 80 名（75.5%）参与者分别更喜欢虚拟演讲和演示。相比之下，只有 12 名（11.3%）和 21 名（19.8%）学生更喜欢虚拟的工作坊和网络。此外，代表们喜欢虚拟会议的全球可及性和环保性质，但发现它们可能互动性较差，并且网络连接不良会中断会议。
虚拟外科会议有很多好处，可以帮助鼓励医学生从事外科职业。在这个前所未有的时期，它们可以帮助弥合医学院外科教育的差距。虚拟会议具有更广泛和更具包容性的影响力，可能是大流行后传统会议的重要补充。
