IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON SCHOLARLY PRODUCTIVITY IN AN ACADEMIC INTERNAL MEDICINE RESIDENCY PROGRAM

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The ACGME requires internal medicine residents to engage in research during residency and present their findings in a scientific setting as one of the requirements for training completion. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted medical residency education globally, and there is limited data on the effect of the pandemic on scholarly productivity among internal medicine residents METHODS: We collected socio-demographic data of participants and responses on research activities during residency training before and during the pandemic. We assessed the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on scholarly productivity by asking the respondents to report if there has been an 'increase', 'decrease', or 'no change' in scholarly output comparing prepandemic and during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Respondents who reported decreased scholarly output were asked to provide reasons for the decline and suggest ways to improve scholarly productivity during pandemics. RESULTS: A total of 68 residents completed the survey which corresponds to a response rate of 85%. The mean age group was 30-34 years and 51% of the participant were females. Of the total number of respondents, 43% reported a decline in the number of publications during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. About 26% responded that the pandemic has had a negative impact on their level of participation in scientific conferences due to the cancellation of most in-person scientific conferences in compliance with social distancing and pandemic restrictions. More females reported a decline in scholarly productivity due to a combination of burnout from the pandemic and competing family commitments. CONCLUSIONS: In this survey, a significant proportion of residents of an academic internal medicine residency program reported a decline in research and scholarly productivity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Burnout, loss of morale, and insufficient time due to competing domestic duties were the major contributory factors. Female residents were more affected due to burnout and challenges from having to strike a balance between their training and family duties. More research electives during training, more time to focus on mental health, dedicated faculty to mentor residents on research, and providing support for female residents to cope with domestic responsibilities may improve scholarly productivity during pandemics.