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Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on otolaryngology – Head-and-neck surgery residency training

Context: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has swept globally, leading to a crisis that affects all aspects of human life. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on otolaryngology-head-and-neck surgery (ORL-HNS) residency training in Saudi Arabia and assess the study habits of residents during the pandemic and the impact of COVID-19 on training. Settings and Design: This was a cross-sectional quantitative study that utilized a 36-item questionnaire, investigating demographic data, study habits during the pandemic, clinical involvement in various training domains before and during the pandemic, and COVID-19-related exposure and training. Subjects and Methods: The questionnaire was sent to all ORL-HNS residents in Saudi Arabia via email, except those in their first year of residency. Statistical Analysis Used: A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed to assess the difference in clinical involvement before and during the pandemic. Results: A total of 165 residents participated in this study (response rate = 72.7%). A statistically significant decrease in clinical involvement from before to during the pandemic was noted in all training domains, including the average number of emergency consultations during on-call duty, outpatient clinics, in-office diagnostic procedures, and operative procedures for oto-neurotology, rhinology and skull base, head and neck, pediatric and airway, and facial plastic. However, an increase in the consultation via telemedicine was apparent during the pandemic in comparison to before. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected ORL-HNS residency training considerably. We recommend implementing alternative didactic strategies to mitigate the decreased exposure of residents to ORL-HNS clinical training.