The Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Ophthalmology Residency Training (Study on Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia)The Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Ophthalmology Residency Training (Study on Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia)

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is causing a crisis in health systems around the world, including residents’ surgical and clinical training of various specialties. The purpose of this study was to provide the effects of COVID-19 on ophthalmology resident education. Given the uncertainty of the end of this pandemic, the resident's perspective can be used to help the ophthalmologist education system adapt to changes during the pandemic. Method: Online surveys were distributed to ophthalmology resident in Airlangga University Surabaya, Indonesia. The survey contained questions about resident's opinion regarding online lectures conducted during the pandemic and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on scientific assignments and clinical skills target that must be met according to the standards of the Indonesian College of Ophthalmology (ICO). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Result: 69 out of 72 residents participated in this study. From the observation, it was found that there was a significant decrease in patients so that only 7.4% of residents could meet their competency standards. There was no change in the number of hours of independent study but there were many obstacles to completing scientific assignments since the pandemic which caused 85.7% of residents to experience delays in completing assignments. As many as 91.8% of residents felt the COVID-19 pandemic would delay graduation. The negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic were greater among senior residents (p = 0.002, P <0.01).  Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has a negative effect on ophthalmology residents' education. The decreased number of patients made it difficult for the residents to meet competency standards. The new regulations related to COVID-19 also cause obstacles to completing scientific assignments and have the potential to delay graduation of ophthalmology residents. Keyword: COVID-19, Pandemic, Ophthalmology Resident