The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on healthcare systems and training all around the world. The North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition’s Training Committee wanted to know how COVID-19 influenced paediatric gastroenterology fellowship training. On April 7, an email with a 21-question survey was sent to all 77 paediatric gastroenterology fellowship programme directors (PDs) in the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition programme director database. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate responses received to April 19, 2020.The poll was completed by 51 of 77 PDs from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. At the time of the study, 46 of 51 PDs reported being under a “stay-at-home” order for a median of 4 weeks. Before COVID-19, two of the 51 programmes had fellows engaging in outpatient telehealth, and 39 of the 51 had fellows participating at the time of the survey. In 22 of the 51 programmes, fellows ceased participating in outpatient clinics, and in 26 of the 51 programmes, they stopped participating in endoscopy. Reduced fellow staffing, restricting who accessed patient rooms, and remote rounding were among the changes made to inpatient care. In 47 of 51of the programmes, didactics were transferred to virtual conferences, and fellows accessed a variety of online resources. Clinical research and, to a lesser extent, bench research were limited.
This study includes preliminary information on COVID-19’s influence on paediatric fellowship training. Significant changes were the rapid adoption of telemedicine and the reduction of clinical and research experiences. Survey results may spark dialogue and creativity to assist instructors in adapting.
