The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Research and Volunteering Activities among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study among Romanian and International Students from One Medical Faculty from Romania.

INTRODUCTION: This study focuses on the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical students in their last year of study at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. It analyzes the impact of social distance limits on the conduct of research activities required for the development of the graduation thesis, as well as assesses sixth-year students' attitudes and behaviors toward volunteer activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in June-July 2021 among sixth-year students. It used an anonymous online questionnaire and was sent to all students from the Faculty of Medicine studying in the Romanian, English, or French sections (n = 606). The response rate was 38.28%, resulting in a final sample of 232 students from both Romanian and international sections. RESULTS: The findings demonstrate that two-thirds of the students in the survey agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on their research. Some of the students had to choose another subject for their graduation thesis, while about a quarter of the students gave up collecting personal data, 25% of respondents stated that it was difficult to contact research participants, one-third of them linked the difficulty of doing activities at the hospital to the present outbreak, and almost 30% of the students had difficulty communicating with the coordinator. The disturbance of the research activity seems to be higher among international students in comparison with the Romanian students, while there are limited gender differences. One out of five medical students has been involved in volunteer activities during the pandemic. Most have opted to volunteer at hospitals (especially international students) and contribute to health education activities (especially women). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study from Romania and one of the few from Europe that presents data regarding the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on research and volunteering activities among medical students.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Research and Volunteering Activities among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study among Romanian and International Students from One Medical Faculty from Romania

Introduction: This study focuses on the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical students in their last year of study at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. It analyzes the impact of social distance limits on the conduct of research activities required for the development of the graduation thesis, as well as assesses sixth-year students' attitudes and behaviors toward volunteer activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in June–July 2021 among sixth-year students. It used an anonymous online questionnaire and was sent to all students from the Faculty of Medicine studying in the Romanian, English, or French sections (n = 606). The response rate was 38.28%, resulting in a final sample of 232 students from both Romanian and international sections. Results: The findings demonstrate that two-thirds of the students in the survey agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on their research. Some of the students had to choose another subject for their graduation thesis, while about a quarter of the students gave up collecting personal data, 25% of respondents stated that it was difficult to contact research participants, one-third of them linked the difficulty of doing activities at the hospital to the present outbreak, and almost 30% of the students had difficulty communicating with the coordinator. The disturbance of the research activity seems to be higher among international students in comparison with the Romanian students, while there are limited gender differences. One out of five medical students has been involved in volunteer activities during the pandemic. Most have opted to volunteer at hospitals (especially international students) and contribute to health education activities (especially women). Conclusions: This is the first study from Romania and one of the few from Europe that presents data regarding the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on research and volunteering activities among medical students.

Lights and Shadows of the Perception of the Use of Telemedicine by Romanian Family Doctors During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: Telemedicine has emerged as a critical technology to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 infection. We aim in this work to explore how general practitioners (GPs) perceived the use of telemedicine, recently recognized and reimbursed by the Public Health Insurance House (PHIH) for primary care (PC) provision. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in 2020 in one county of Romania using an anonymous questionnaire that assessed physicians' perceptions regarding teleconsultation, reliability in tele-decision, remote pathology management, pregnant women's surveillance, patients' satisfaction with telemedicine, the need for its further reimbursement. Bivariate correlation was used to measure associations between the investigated issues. RESULTS: More than a quarter of GPs (28.6%) found it easier to address patients' healthcare needs remotely, while 60.7% considered time-consuming teleconsultations compared to face-to-face visits. Tele-diagnostic uncertainty was expressed by 64.3% of physicians, and a quarter were confident in tele-decisions. Almost half of GPs (43%) observed patients' satisfaction with tele-visits, while half said patients encountered difficulties using technology. A large percentage of doctors (62.5%) perceived that patients felt as well treated by virtual as in-person visit and 91.1% suggested post-pandemic reimbursement. The results of the bivariate correlation showed that physicians who perceived positive patient feedback on telemedicine were more supportive of subsequent reimbursement. CONCLUSION: This study showed the GPs' positive perception of the use of telemedicine. Its adoption in PC has shed light on the shadows of the pandemic. The time-consuming nature of teleconsultations, uncertainty in tele-decisions, patients' difficulties in using technology were seen as shadows of telecare. However, most of the GPs surveyed agreed with the need for further reimbursement. Future work should focus on innovative solutions for integrating telemedicine as complementary form of PC, the need for telemedicine-based training for GPs to improve capacity building, and patients' perceptions of virtual care, helping to build trust and satisfaction.