Neurosurgical education during COVID-19: challenges and lessons learned in Egypt

Background: The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has disrupted the routine neurosurgical education and practice worldwide and so more in developing countries Continuing the neurosurgical training while maintaining the well-being of our residents should be the primary concern of leaders of training programs Objectives: The aim of this cross-sectional study was the evaluation of the impact of COVID-19 on neurosurgical residency programs and neurosurgical practice in five tertiary medical centers in our country We also aimed at detecting the shortcomings in training programs and provide solutions Methods: An online questionnaire-based survey was prepared and sent to 73 neurosurgery residents in 5 tertiary centers in 4 governorates by social networks The questions focused on the evaluation of clinical and surgical activities before and after the pandemic Safety precautions, education, and residents' mental health were also evaluated Results: Fifty residents responded to our survey We identified a significant reduction in surgical cases, inpatient services, and working hours per week during the pandemic comparing to the pre-pandemic era We also identified a significant increase in research hours and changes in educational methods from in-person methods to virtual ones Seventy-four percent reported that personal protective equipment was not adequate for their duties Sixty-eight percent experienced burnout symptoms Unavailability of personal protective equipment, negative concerns regarding the surgical career, and financial strains significantly affected the mental health of residents Conclusions: The survey highlighted the negative impact of COVID-19 on neurosurgical practice and education Being in a developing country, this negative effect was amplified due to financial reasons and weak infrastructure Inadequate personal protective equipment increased the risk of infection and work-related stress among neurosurgery residents We lacked telemedicine services in our country Online education gained more visibility and awareness [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry & Neurosurgery is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )