Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anaesthesia specialty training: a single-centre quantitative analysis
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare services worldwide, with a consequent impact on the delivery of medical education and training in all acute care specialties. Anaesthesia training has been challenged by a combination of reduced elective theatre activity, redeployment of trainee...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2023-03-01
|
| Series: | BJA Open |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772609622001162 |
| _version_ | 1797861100997312512 |
|---|---|
| author | Lauren Hughes Orla Murphy Martin Lenihan Róisín Ní Mhuircheartaigh Thomas P. Wall |
| author_facet | Lauren Hughes Orla Murphy Martin Lenihan Róisín Ní Mhuircheartaigh Thomas P. Wall |
| author_sort | Lauren Hughes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare services worldwide, with a consequent impact on the delivery of medical education and training in all acute care specialties. Anaesthesia training has been challenged by a combination of reduced elective theatre activity, redeployment of trainees to critical care units, and changes in standard anaesthetic practices. Methods: The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on specialist anaesthesia training at a tertiary level teaching hospital in Ireland via a retrospective analysis of data captured by electronic anaesthesia records. The anaesthetic caseloads of trainees in periods before and during the pandemic were analysed along with airway management practices, core procedural skills performed, and critical care rostering. Data relating to 145 anaesthesia trainees were captured during the study periods: pre-pandemic (January 2018 to January 2020) and pandemic (January 2020 to January 2022). Results: The mean number of theatre cases logged per trainee in a 6-month period reduced from 156.8 pre-pandemic to 119.2 during the pandemic (23.9% reduction; P<0.0001). Although theatre caseload was reduced, trainees gained additional critical care experience with a significant increase in overall days spent staffing critical care wards. In the theatre setting, the number of arterial lines, central lines, neuraxial blocks, and peripheral nerve blocks performed were significantly reduced during the pandemic. Conclusions: Although the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced anaesthesia training exposure and increased critical care exposure over an extended period, the overall long-term significance of this alteration in the anaesthesia training experience remains uncertain. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T21:56:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a41bec1ac035496abd496f65eaf7823b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2772-6096 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T21:56:38Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJA Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-a41bec1ac035496abd496f65eaf7823b2023-03-24T04:23:33ZengElsevierBJA Open2772-60962023-03-015100117Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anaesthesia specialty training: a single-centre quantitative analysisLauren Hughes0Orla Murphy1Martin Lenihan2Róisín Ní Mhuircheartaigh3Thomas P. Wall4Department of Anaesthesia, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, IrelandDepartment of Anaesthesia, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, IrelandDepartment of Anaesthesia, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, IrelandDepartment of Anaesthesia, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, IrelandDepartment of Anaesthesia, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Corresponding author. Department of Anaesthesia, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare services worldwide, with a consequent impact on the delivery of medical education and training in all acute care specialties. Anaesthesia training has been challenged by a combination of reduced elective theatre activity, redeployment of trainees to critical care units, and changes in standard anaesthetic practices. Methods: The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on specialist anaesthesia training at a tertiary level teaching hospital in Ireland via a retrospective analysis of data captured by electronic anaesthesia records. The anaesthetic caseloads of trainees in periods before and during the pandemic were analysed along with airway management practices, core procedural skills performed, and critical care rostering. Data relating to 145 anaesthesia trainees were captured during the study periods: pre-pandemic (January 2018 to January 2020) and pandemic (January 2020 to January 2022). Results: The mean number of theatre cases logged per trainee in a 6-month period reduced from 156.8 pre-pandemic to 119.2 during the pandemic (23.9% reduction; P<0.0001). Although theatre caseload was reduced, trainees gained additional critical care experience with a significant increase in overall days spent staffing critical care wards. In the theatre setting, the number of arterial lines, central lines, neuraxial blocks, and peripheral nerve blocks performed were significantly reduced during the pandemic. Conclusions: Although the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced anaesthesia training exposure and increased critical care exposure over an extended period, the overall long-term significance of this alteration in the anaesthesia training experience remains uncertain.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772609622001162anaesthesiaanaesthesia trainingCOVID-19medical educationpostgraduate medical education |
| spellingShingle | Lauren Hughes Orla Murphy Martin Lenihan Róisín Ní Mhuircheartaigh Thomas P. Wall Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anaesthesia specialty training: a single-centre quantitative analysis BJA Open anaesthesia anaesthesia training COVID-19 medical education postgraduate medical education |
| title | Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anaesthesia specialty training: a single-centre quantitative analysis |
| title_full | Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anaesthesia specialty training: a single-centre quantitative analysis |
| title_fullStr | Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anaesthesia specialty training: a single-centre quantitative analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anaesthesia specialty training: a single-centre quantitative analysis |
| title_short | Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anaesthesia specialty training: a single-centre quantitative analysis |
| title_sort | impact of the covid 19 pandemic on anaesthesia specialty training a single centre quantitative analysis |
| topic | anaesthesia anaesthesia training COVID-19 medical education postgraduate medical education |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772609622001162 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT laurenhughes impactofthecovid19pandemiconanaesthesiaspecialtytrainingasinglecentrequantitativeanalysis AT orlamurphy impactofthecovid19pandemiconanaesthesiaspecialtytrainingasinglecentrequantitativeanalysis AT martinlenihan impactofthecovid19pandemiconanaesthesiaspecialtytrainingasinglecentrequantitativeanalysis AT roisinnimhuircheartaigh impactofthecovid19pandemiconanaesthesiaspecialtytrainingasinglecentrequantitativeanalysis AT thomaspwall impactofthecovid19pandemiconanaesthesiaspecialtytrainingasinglecentrequantitativeanalysis |