Purpose: The objective of the following study was to identify clinical redeployment patterns among obstetrics and gynecology residents during the COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate the impact of the redeployment experience on the perceptions of obstetrics-gynecology training.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges to the healthcare training model, among them being the expansion of duties among clinical trainees and reassignment of roles and responsibilities.
Methods: This was a descriptive opt-in survey study using Qualtrics. Recruitment emails were sent to 300 U.S. program directors via contacts through the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) which were electively distributed to resident physicians. Intended subjects were obstetrics/gynecology residents in US training programs in the 2019-2020 academic year from ACOG-identified US training programs. Survey questions included general subject demographics, redeployment status, and assessment of clinical activities. A post-hoc analysis was performed with group comparisons performed with Chi square analyses.
Results: The respondent pool included a sample of 98 respondents. Of the respondents, 23 percent were redeployed, while 77 percent were not redeployed. Approximately 70 percent of redeployed respondents reported training at academic medical centers. More than 60 percent of redeployed residents were reassigned to off-service locations for at least 2 weeks. Both redeployed and non-redeployed residents reported similar concerns with COVID infection risk and disruption of routine obstetrics-gynecology training. Redeployed residents showed significantly higher concern for treating conditions outside the scope of their routine training while those who were not redeployed reported higher concerns relating to lack of institutional guidelines and limitations in personal protective equipment (PPE) availability. Residents redeployed off service were more likely to perform clinical interventions such as central line placement and participation in ventilator management. 65 percent of redeployed residents endorsed improvement in clinical skills and knowledge as a result of redeployment and approximately 40 percent of trainees reported interest in the integration of additional off-service rotations in the general obstetrics/gynecology curriculum as a result of redeployment experience.
Discussions: Obstetrics/Gynecology residents play integral role in the diverse provision of care in the setting of COVID-19. There may be a role for standardized integration of critical care medicine and principles in Obstetrics/Gynecology training.
Topics: CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, 2022, Resident, Faculty, Residency Director, Residency Coordinator, Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Systems-Based Practice & Improvement, Practice-Based Learning & Improvement, GME, Quality & Safety, Global Health, Public Health,
Jude Nawlo, MD, NYU Long Island School of Medicine; Emile Redwood, MD; Megan Bader, MD Candidate; Meredith Akerman, MS; Amanda Shepherd-Littlejohn, MD
