AbuDujain Nasser M, Almuhaideb Qais A, Alrumaihi Nouf A, Alrabiah Maha A, Alanazy Mohammed H, Abdulghani Hamza
College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, SAU.
Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, SAU.
Cureus. 2021 Nov 4;13(11):e19250. doi: 10.7759/cureus.19250. eCollection 2021 Nov.
Background and objectives The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has challenged healthcare systems worldwide. Various studies have revealed the negative impact of the pandemic on the education and mental health of medical students and residents. In this study, we aimed to explore the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical interns' educational experience, clinical practice, and mental health. We also engage in a discussion on the compensatory methods that have been adopted to improve medical interns' learning processes during the ongoing pandemic. Methods This cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted at the King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC) in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) from March to October 2020. The participants consisted of medical interns. The survey collected information on participants' demographics, training, and the educational and psychological impact of the pandemic. Results The survey was distributed to 480 medical interns, of whom 345 (71.8%) participated. Most of our sample (75.6%) believed that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted their cumulative experience. Regarding the pandemic's impact on training and education, it was found that the emergency department rotation was the most affected rotation (60.3%). The majority of the participants (55.9%) believed that all tracks have received equal education and the volume of patients seen by interns decreased by 91.9%. As for the compensatory methods, 73.3% reported the utilization of remote platforms. Regarding the pandemic's mental health impact, 36% believed that it has affected their mental health, where increased stress levels were noticed in 47.8% of participants. Statistical significance was found in both Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scores, which indicated that during the pandemic, 20.6% of the participants suffered from depression, and 13.9% had moderate to severe anxiety. Conclusions This study highlights the negative educational and psychological impact of COVID-19 on medical interns. With emerging infectious diseases on the rise, recognizing the impact of COVID-19 on medical interns is vital to improving interns' educational experiences and mental health during future crises.
背景与目的 2019年新型冠状病毒病(COVID-19)大流行给全球医疗系统带来了挑战。多项研究揭示了该大流行对医学生和住院医师的教育及心理健康的负面影响。在本研究中,我们旨在探讨COVID-19大流行对医学实习生的教育经历、临床实践和心理健康的影响。我们还对在当前大流行期间为改善医学实习生学习过程而采用的补偿方法进行了讨论。方法 这项基于横断面调查的研究于2020年3月至10月在沙特阿拉伯王国利雅得的沙特国王大学医学城(KSUMC)进行。参与者为医学实习生。该调查收集了有关参与者的人口统计学信息、培训情况以及大流行对教育和心理的影响。结果 该调查共发放给480名医学实习生,其中345名(71.8%)参与。我们的大多数样本(75.6%)认为COVID-19大流行对他们的累积经验产生了负面影响。关于大流行对培训和教育的影响,发现急诊科轮转是受影响最大的轮转(60.3%)。大多数参与者(55.9%)认为所有专业方向都接受了同等教育,实习生诊治的患者数量减少了91.9%。至于补偿方法,73.3%的人报告使用了远程平台。关于大流行对心理健康的影响,36%的人认为它影响了他们的心理健康,47.8%的参与者压力水平有所增加。在患者健康问卷-9(PHQ-9)和广泛性焦虑障碍-7(GAD-7)评分中均发现了统计学意义,这表明在大流行期间,20.6%的参与者患有抑郁症,13.9%的人有中度至重度焦虑。结论 本研究突出了COVID-19对医学实习生的负面教育和心理影响。随着新发传染病不断增加,认识到COVID-19对医学实习生的影响对于在未来危机期间改善实习生的教育经历和心理健康至关重要。