Impact of COVID-19 on UK Orthopaedic Training during the 2020 Pandemic: A Prospective Cohort Analysis

Description

This presentation, led by Luke Thornton, focuses on the significant impact of COVID-19 on trauma and orthopedic training during the peak of the pandemic in Merseyside, UK. Luke, an ST4 resident at Mersey, discusses the drastic restructuring of NHS services that led to a decline in elective surgeries and trauma operative experiences for specialist trainees. He addresses how elective clinics were canceled or significantly reduced, with many medical trainees being redeployed to various roles or even put on standby, which might hinder their ability to meet Clinical Competence Training (CCT) criteria in the future. The analysis draws on data collected over seven weeks via an online submission form from trainee doctors, assessing changes to their clinical practice due to COVID-19. Key findings reveal a 43% reduction in training opportunities, with 1,018 entries highlighting significant losses, including elective lists, fracture clinics, and disrupted examination schedules. The presentation emphasizes the unequal distribution of lost training across different levels of trainees without significantly differing impacts based on hospital types. In conclusion, Luke suggests a need for flexibility in ARCP panels across the country, as training opportunities continue to be limited while services aim to return to normal.

DOI: 10.1302/3114-210223

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