P-330 the Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Education of Medical Residents in Tunisia

Abstract Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic caused a worldwide healthcare crisis, altering the roles of medical residents, who shifted their focus to treating critical patients instead of their usual education. This study aims to assess how the pandemic has affected the education of medical residents by examining the overall impact on their learning experiences. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in April 2022 among Tunisian medical residents. A questionnaire was sent online collecting data about their perception of the impact of the pandemic on their education. Results One hundred residents participated, with 18% being surgeons. Twenty-Eight percent reported a decrease in work-duty hours, whereas the workload was unchanged to significantly increased for 67% of the residents. Only 20% noticed an increase in patient volume. Clinical and surgical activities decreased for 48%, remained unchanged for 41%. Moreover, residents reported a decrease in time dedicated for research activities (47%) and educational activities (82%). Bivariate analysis showed that increase of workload was significantly higher for medicine residents (p=0.005) whereas the decrease in clinical/surgical activities was significantly higher for surgery residents (p=0.005). Discussion This study evaluated the impact of the pandemic on medical residents two years after its onset. The deployment of their effort toward the care for COVID-19 patients in addition to the decrease in grand rounds, staff meetings and event due to safety protocols affected deeply their education. Conclusion Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the education of residents underwent substantial impact. A heightened emphasis on both theoretical and practical knowledge consolidation becomes imperative for this generation.