Project description:BackgroundThe educational process of young doctors should be a topic of high interest, since it is central to preparing the new generations of healthcare providers. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the medical system on multiple levels, including medical education.MethodsWe conducted a descriptive survey study, designed to reflect the impact of the pandemic on the training of general surgery residents. Two questionnaires were delivered to general surgery residents at two different periods: one in the pre-COVID-19 era (December 2019) and one in the COVID-19 era (December 2020). Data were gathered on participants' characteristics, current clinical practice and knowledge, extracurricular activities, and involvement in the management of COVID-19 cases.ResultsWe registered 33 responses in the pre-COVID-19 era and 45 responses in the COVID-19 era. Most participants felt that the pandemic significantly affected their training in classic and laparoscopic surgery. The number of days per week that the residents were active in the operating room and the possibility of training in laparoscopic surgery outside the hospital decreased significantly in the COVID-19 era. Most participants consider they have not gained sufficient knowledge to practice laparoscopic surgery or to assure their employment in another hospital after finishing their residency program.ConclusionThe pandemic reduced the hands-on activities of general surgery residents, while training in laparoscopy was deficient both before and during the pandemic. New training methods should be sought and used in order to adapt the educational system to the current context.
Project description:Every day lawyers provide counsel and advocacy to individuals, groups, and businesses in a multitude of settings. From court room to board room, attorneys are relied upon to guide their clients through difficult situations. In doing this, attorneys all too often internalize the stresses of those that they help. The legal system has long been considered a stressful occupation. This stressful environment was further taxed by the wider societal disruptions in 2020 as we dealt with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond the illness itself, the pandemic forced widespread court closures and made it more difficult to communicate with clients. Based upon a survey of the membership of the Kentucky Bar Association, this paper considers the impact of the pandemic on attorney wellness in a variety of categories. These results demonstrated marked negative impacts on a variety of wellness measures which may result in significant reductions in service provision and efficacy for the people who need legal services. The pandemic made the practice of law harder and more stressful. Attorneys suffered increased incidence of substance abuse, alcohol consumption, and stress during the pandemic. These results were generally worse among those practicing in the areas of criminal law. In light of these adverse psychological effects facing attorneys, the authors argue the need for increased mental health support resources for attorneys, as well as establishing clear steps to raise awareness among the legal community about the importance of mental health and personal wellness.
Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic has disturbed medical training. Haematology registrars were surveyed using SurveyMonkey. Eighty-nine out of 269 (24.9%) responded. Reported stressors included concerns about transmitting the infection, disruption of leave, inferior patient outcomes, survivors' guilt and interruption of career progression. Only 31.2% felt ready to progress to the next training stage. Reported causes of lack of training were disruption of clinics and training days and utilisation of telephone consultations. Several stressors negatively impacted haematology registrars' well-being, training and progression. More emphasis on psychological support, outpatient clinic work and e-learning is needed.
Project description:COVID-19 has led to mental health adversities worldwide. The current study examined whether daily practice of brief mindfulness training has a beneficial impact on affective well-being, and mitigates the negative impact of exposure to COVID-19 news during the pandemic. Participants were randomly assigned into a mindfulness training (MT) group or a waitlist control (WC) group. Participants in the MT group practiced guided mindfulness meditation for a minimum of 10 min each day for 10 days. Both groups completed questionnaires assessing well-being at baseline and after the 10-day period. We also included four ecological momentary assessments (EMA) interspersed throughout the day to measure fine-grained affective states and recent exposure to COVID-19-related news, which has been linked to negative affect. We observed an increase in positive affect in the MT group compared to the WC group in the post-training assessment. However, no group differences emerged in the other three post-training affective measures of negative affect, anxiety and depression. EMA revealed that the MT group also showed more positive affective valence than the WC group across the 10 days. Notably, the WC group reported more negative affective valence following COVID-19 news exposure, whereas the MT group was not impacted. Taken together, our study indicates brief sessions of guided mindfulness meditation during COVID-19 may boost positive affect and serve as a protective buffer against the negative impact of exposure to COVID-19-related news on affective well-being. These findings highlight the utility of mindfulness meditation as an accessible and cost-effective technique to elevate positive affect amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Project description:PurposeTo analyze the initial impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on surgical skills training and performance of Pediatric Surgery Residents.MethodsRetrospective study considering the modifications on the Pediatric Surgery Residency training from March 1st-May 31st, 2020. Exposure to OR learning opportunities was compared to the same 2018-2019 trimesters. An anonymous survey about self-perception on surgical skills development was also performed.ResultsResidents performed 209 procedures as leading surgeons during the 2020 trimester with a mean number of surgeries per resident of 20.9, representing a reduction of 46% and 56.8% compared to the 2018-2019 averages, respectively. Reduction in both the number and the percentage of total procedures (n: 209, 56.8%) compared to both 2019 (n: 354, 68.7%, p: 0.000272) and 2018 (n: 420, 76.1%, p < 0,00,001) showed statistical correlation with no changes in their complexity pattern. From the survey (response rate: 100%), hours dedicated to simulation-based training were highly increased. More time was spent studying, but only 60% achieved better preparation for surgery and 70% perceived a decrease in surgical confidence.ConclusionsEven though the pandemic promoted new teaching strategies and the use of simulation-based training, it drastically reduced "on-the-job" learning opportunities with potential effects on residents' performance and self-confidence during surgery.
Project description:This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the training of Spanish pathology residents by conducting an online survey. It was distributed among the pathologists who had been residents during the pandemic and consisted of 31 questions about the demographics and the impact of the pandemic on their pathology training. In total, 114 residents completed the survey; they reported a decrease in the number of biopsies, cytology samples, autopsies, research activities, sessions, case corrections, and courses, as well as the detrimental effect this had on their training. Half of the residents had to cancel rotations and 32% were redeployed to other departments. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected pathology training, and our results can be used to understand the challenges residents have faced and mitigate their impact.
Project description:The COVID-19 outbreak has become one of the largest public health crises of our time. Governments have responded by implementing self-isolation and physical distancing measures that have profoundly impacted daily life throughout the world. In this study, we aimed to investigate how people experience the activities, interactions, and settings of their lives during the pandemic. The sample (N = 604) was assessed in Ireland on the 25 March 2020, following the closure of schools and non-essential businesses. We examined within-person variance in emotional well-being and how people spend their time. We found that while most time was spent in the home (74%), time spent outdoors (8%) was associated with markedly raised positive affect and reduced negative emotions. Exercising, going for walks, gardening, pursuing hobbies, and taking care of children were the activities associated with the greatest affective benefits. Home-schooling children and obtaining information about COVID-19 were ranked lowest of all activities in terms of emotional experience. These findings highlight activities that may play a protective role in relation to well-being during the pandemic, the importance of setting limits for exposure to COVID-19-related media coverage, and the need for greater educational supports to facilitate home-schooling during this challenging period.
Project description:Background and Objectives: In order to curb the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the countries took preventive measures such as lockdown and restrictions of movements. This can lead to effects on mental health of the population. We studied the impact of COVID-19 on psychological well-being and associated factors among the Pakistani general population. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted between 26th April and 15th May and included participants from all over the Pakistan. Attitudes and worriedness about COVID-19 pandemic were assessed using a structured questionnaire. A validated English and Urdu version of the World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) was used to assess the well-being. Factor analysis was done to extract the attitude item domains. Logistic regression was used to assess the factors associated with poor well-being. Results: A total of 1,756 people participated in the survey. Almost half 50% of the participants were male, and a similar proportion was employed. About 41% of the participants were dependent on financial sources other than salary. News was considered a source of fear as 72% assumed that avoiding such news may reduce the fear. About 68% of the population was worried about contracting the disease. The most common coping strategies used during lockdown were spending quality time with family, eating healthy food, adequate sleep, and talking to friends on phone. Prevalence of poor well-being was found to be 41.2%. Female gender, being unemployed, living in Sindh and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), fear of COVID-19, and having chronic illness were significantly associated with poor well-being. Similarly, coping strategies during lockdown (doing exercise; spending time with family; eating healthy food; having good sleep; contributing in social welfare work and spending time on hobbies) were also significantly associated with mental well-being. Conclusion: We found a high prevalence 41.2% of poor well-being among the Pakistani general population. We also investigated risk factors of poor well-being which included female gender, unemployment, being resident of ICT and Sindh, fear, chronic illness, and absence of coping strategies. This calls for immediate action at population level in the form of targeted mass psychological support programs to improve the mental health of population during the COVID-19 crises.
Project description:The governmental lockdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic have forced people to change their behavior in many ways including changes in exercise. We used the brief window of global lockdown in the months of March/April/May 2020 as an opportunity to investigate the effects of externally imposed restrictions on exercise-related routines and related changes in subjective well-being. Statistical analyses are based on data from 13,696 respondents in 18 countries using a cross-sectional online survey. A mixed effects modeling approach was used to analyze data. We tested whether exercise frequency before and during the pandemic would influence mood during the pandemic. Additionally, we used the COVID-19 pandemic data to build a prediction model, while controlling for national differences, to estimate changes in exercise frequency during similar future lockdown conditions depending on prelockdown exercise frequency. According to the prediction model, those who rarely exercise before a lockdown tend to increase their exercise frequency during it, and those who are frequent exercisers before a lockdown tend to maintain it. With regards to subjective well-being, the data show that those who exercised almost every day during this pandemic had the best mood, regardless of whether or not they exercised prepandemic. Those who were inactive prepandemic and slightly increased their exercise frequency during the pandemic, reported no change in mood compared to those who remained inactive during the pandemic. Those who reduced their exercise frequency during the pandemic reported worse mood compared to those who maintained or increased their prepandemic exercise frequency. This study suggests that under similar lockdown conditions, about two thirds of those who never or rarely exercise before a lockdown might adopt an exercise behavior or increase their exercise frequency. However, such changes do not always immediately result in improvement in subjective well-being. These results may inform national policies, as well as health behavior and exercise psychology research on the importance of exercise promotion, and prediction of changes in exercise behavior during future pandemics.