The effect of the initial months of the COVID-19 national lockdown on MMed training activities at the University of the Free State, South Africa

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT : Background. Shortly after the first case of SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) had been reported in South Africa, a national lockdown was declared. Subsequently, the University of the Free State (UFS) changed from a contact delivery mode to remote multimodal teaching, learning and assessment.Objectives. To determine the effect of the initial months of the COVID-19 lockdown on MMed training activities at the UFS, specifically the demographic and health profile of students, research progress, academic activities and the clinical training environment.Methods. A cross-sectional study using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire was used. All registered MMed students at the UFS were eligible to participate.Results. A response was obtained from 134 (51.9%) of 258 registrars, most of whom were included in the analysis (n=118;45.7%). Significant associations between the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on day-to-day clinical work and the ability to work on MMed research (p<0.01) and self-directed learning time (p<0.01) were noted. Changes in domestic circumstances affecting MMed research were reported by 26.9% of respondents. Worsening or new symptoms of stress were reported by 40.0% of respondents.Conclusion. The initial months of the COVID-19 lockdown might have far-reaching implications for registrars' academic progress. Registrars experienced adverse psychosocial consequences that might impede their academic progress

The influence of a perspex intubation box on time to intubation: A simulation-based randomised crossover study

Background: Standard personal protective equipment guidelines are insufficient to prevent contamination of healthcare workers with droplet spread during the COVID-19 crisis. The added challenge of adequate aerosol protection has led to the development of an initial prototype intubation box. The primary objective was to determine the impact of an intubation box on the mean time to completion of intubation in a simulated airway. Secondary objectives included the best laryngoscopic view, the effect of intubator seniority and mode of laryngoscopy on intubation. Methods: This was a randomised crossover study of the influence of an intubation box on mean time to completion of intubation of an airway management part-task trainer. Senior anaesthesiology staff were assigned to two groups and recordings of their attempts at intubation were analysed by two independent observers. Results: The intubation box led to a significantly longer mean time to completion of intubation of 7.6 seconds (95% CI 3.1;12.2;p = 0.001) with direct laryngoscopy and 9.2 seconds (95% CI 3.8;14.7;p = 0.001) with videolaryngoscopy. It did not influence best glottic view. Conclusion: We found that the use of an intubation box significantly prolonged the time to completion of intubation, but the clinical significance of the effect size is uncertain. © 2021 The Author(s).