Elsevier

World Neurosurgery

Volume 139, July 2020, Pages e848-e858
World Neurosurgery

Original Article
Neurosurgery Residents' Perspective on COVID-19: Knowledge, Readiness, and Impact of this Pandemic

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2020.05.087Get rights and content

Background

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a life-threatening illness, which represents a challenge to all health care workers. Neurosurgeons worldwide are affected in different ways.

Objective

This is the first study regarding the readiness of neurosurgery residents for the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact. The aim is to identify the level of knowledge and readiness and the impact of this virus among neurosurgery residents in different programs.

Methods

A cross-sectional analysis was performed in which 52 neurosurgery residents from different centers were selected to complete a questionnaire-based survey. The questionnaire comprised 3 sections and 27 questions that ranged from knowledge to impact of the pandemic on various features.

Results

The median knowledge score was 4 out of 5. The proportion of participants with a satisfactory level of knowledge was 60%. There was a statistically significant difference between the knowledge score and location of the program. Around 48% of the neurosurgery residents dealt directly with patients with COVID-19. Receiving a session about personal protective equipment was reported by 57.7%. Neurosurgery training at the hospital was affected. About 90% believed that this pandemic had influenced their mental health.

Conclusions

Neurosurgery residents have a relatively good knowledge about COVID-19. The location of the program was associated with knowledge level. Most participants did not receive sufficient training about personal protective equipment. Almost all responders agreed that their training at the hospital had been affected. Further studies are needed to study the impact of this pandemic on neurosurgery residents.

Key words

Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Impact
Knowledge
Neurosurgery residents
Practice

Abbreviations and Acronyms

COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019
GCC
Gulf Cooperation Council
ICU
Intensive care unit
PPE
Personal protective equipment

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Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that the article content was composed in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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