Abstract 1727P
Background
The COVID 19 pandemic is a healthcare crisis leading to unprecedented impact upon healthcare services, notable morbidity and mortality of the public and healthcare professionals, significant psychological effects, and economic repercussions. Junior doctors and those in training are at the forefront of medical care for these patients. We present survey results outlining the concerns of doctors in training.
Methods
A questionnaire was developed and delivered via Survey Monkey relevant to doctors in training during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Perceived Stress Scale was incorporated to gauge participant stress in the weeks leading up to the expected surge of COVID-19 patients. Ethical approval was obtained.
Results
A total of 285 participants engaged with the survey but 197 (69%) completed all answers. Almost 86% of respondents had been trained in donning and doffing personal protective equipment (PPE) and nearly 85% felt significantly confident in the process. Overall, most respondents felt somewhat prepared (60%) or well prepared (20%) to treat COVID-19 patients. However, 42% of respondents worried that their hospital would struggle, or could not cope at all, with COVID-19 patients. Nearly 91% of respondents were concerned that their hospital might run out of PPE. When asked to report their concerns, family health (86%), personal health (72%) and social life (47%) topped the list. According to the Perceived Stress Scale, the majority of respondents (62%) had moderate stress.
Conclusions
This survey is the first known effort to gauge the concerns of doctors in training in Ireland with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results show that most junior doctors were trained and relatively confident in donning and doffing PPE and managing COVID-19 patients. However, significant percentage of doctors in training worried that their hospital might run out of PPE and would struggle with COVID-19 patients. They reported concerns regarding their personal and family health as well as impact on social life. A significant finding was that a majority of junior doctors had moderate stress at baseline. A follow-up survey to gauge the stress of doctors in training after the surge of COVID-19 patients is planned.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
The authors.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
D. Collins: Honoraria (self): Pfizer; Honoraria (self), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Genmab; Honoraria (self), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Astra Zeneca; Honoraria (self): Eli Lilly; Honoraria (self), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Roche; Advisory/Consultancy, Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: MSD; Advisory/Consultancy: Seattle Genetics. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.