medwireNews: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable impact on rheumatology training and research opportunities, suggest findings from an international survey study by the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance.
In their survey of 302 rheumatology trainees from 33 countries, Arundathi Jayatilleke (Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) and team found that 45% of respondents reported an increase in non-rheumatology clinical work during the pandemic, with just over half of these people continuing rheumatology work during redeployment.
The researchers say that the COVID-19 pandemic had a “substantial impact” on training experiences, with 79% of trainees reporting an effect on outpatient clinical work and 55% reporting an effect on didactic education.
The majority (72%) of respondents participated in research before the pandemic, but 46% said they had experienced a change in research experience due to COVID-19, and 47% reported difficulties in keeping up with research goals. A third of respondents said the pandemic had a negative impact on research opportunities in the following year, while 16% reported an increase in research opportunities.
“These findings highlight the importance of curriculum and workforce assessments, along with reforms to ensure that rheumatology trainees have the support and training required to adapt to the changes brought about by the pandemic,” conclude the researchers in Rheumatology Advances in Practice.
medwireNews is an independent medical news service provided by Springer Healthcare Ltd. © 2022 Springer Healthcare Ltd, part of the Springer Nature Group
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