Abstract
Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the professional, social, and spiritual activities of resident physicians around the world, impacting wellness and personal relationships. Moreover, social distancing caused significant limitations or shutdown of places of worship, including churches, synagogues, mosques, etc. Our goal was to survey resident physicians in primary care and surgical subspecialties in the United States (U.S.) and Canada and to examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on their well-being.Methods: An international cross-sectional study was performed in November 2020, using an anonymous survey of programs in the U.S. and Canada, containing 20 questions to assess the impact of the pandemic on resident participation in social and spiritual activities and the effects on their wellness, and personal relationships. The emails with survey links attached were sent to individual program coordinators from accredited residency training programs in the United States and Canada. This consisted of programs accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), and the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The survey was evenly divided among surgical programs (General Surgery, Neurological Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Urological Surgery, and Integrated Surgical Residency Programs such as Plastic Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, and Vascular Surgery) as well as primary care programs (Internal Medicine and Family Medicine).Results: A total of 196 residents, 60 primary care residents, and 136 surgery residents participated in the study. Ninety-six participants (49%) were female, and 98 of the participants (50%) were male, with the remainder two residents identifying as “Other.” Of the primary care residents, the majority (39, 65%) were female. Conversely, the majority (77, 57%) of surgery residents were male.Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the social lives, relationships, and spiritual well-being of both surgical and primary care resident physicians. However, primary care residents reported significantly greater engagement in personal relationships and were more likely to express feelings of mental and physical exhaustion, prohibiting social attendance.
Highlights
Focus on residency wellness has increased in recent years
A total of 196 residents, 60 primary care residents, and 136 surgery residents participated in the study
Social lives and personal relationships were impacted by COVID-19, as well as general residency duties and responsibilities
Summary
After the start of the β-coronavirus 2019-nCoV (COVID-19) pandemic in Wuhan, China [1,2], and the subsequent spread of the virus around the world, social relations were changed worldwide This has exacerbated the issue of resident physician wellness in the United States and around the world. A major factor contributing to these social changes has been policies such as ‘social distancing’ in an attempt to slow down and limit the spread of the virus These policies have resulted in the shutting down or significant limitation of attendance at places of worship, How to cite this article Farr S, Berry J A, Berry D K, et al (November 17, 2021) The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Resident Physicians Well-Being in the Surgical and Primary Care Specialties in the United States and Canada. While some of this access has been replaced with live streaming or recordings with the implementation of new technologies, physical attendance and interactions have been significantly limited
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