COVID-19 negatively affects dermatology residents

Dermatology residents report negative effects from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a presentation at the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery annual meeting.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed resident training in the United States,” Yumeng M. Li, MD, of University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, and colleagues wrote.

The researchers conducted an electronic sample survey to find areas in which improvements may be made if there is a second wave of COVID-19 cases.

One hundred forty dermatology residents from 50 U.S. residency programs completed the 25-question survey. Results showed 85% of respondents reported negative effects on their overall wellness; 92% expected the pandemic to have a long-term negative economic impact, with 33% expecting it to have an impact on job prospects.

Residents reported an increase in teledermatology appointments since the pandemic (96% post-COVID vs. 30% pre-COVID), with 99% reporting beneficial virtual didactics.

In addition, most residents were not comfortable with a possible reassignment during the pandemic to a non-dermatology specialty.

“Dermatology residents were negatively affected by COVID-19 in respect to their well-being, clinical training and education,” Li and colleagues wrote. “Several areas of improvement were identified that could improve our preparedness for a second wave.”