A review of COVID-19’s impact on radiology residents’ academics and wellness in North America

Purpose: The purpose of this review study is to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on radiology residents’ academics and wellness in North America as well as identify effective measures taken by programs that mitigated the effects of COVID-19. By providing a comprehensive and up-to-date summary of the existing evidence, this review will serve as a valuable resource for radiology residents, educators, and healthcare organizations in North America as they navigate the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, the post-pandemic world, and possible future pandemics.

Methods/Materials: To investigate current research related to the topic at hand, a review of 24 papers was conducted out of an initial pool of 455 records identified through database search. Eligible articles were grouped based on several variables of interest including study design, sample size, participant characteristics, and outcomes of interest. The data were analyzed using a narrative synthesis approach, which involved organizing the data into categories and themes to identify patterns and trends. This study was not amenable to rigorous quantitative statistical analysis due to the qualitative nature of this study with limited availability of quantitative data. Given these constraints, a descriptive and exploratory analysis of the available data was more appropriate.

Results: A summary of the major findings in this study can be found in Table 1, highlighting the major changes brought upon by COVID-19, the impact it had on residency programs, and strategies to mitigate each change.

Conclusions: The changes to radiology residency programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic can be summarized as a decline in case volume, decreased diversity of cases, virtual delivery of education, refocusing of research, less face-to-face interaction opportunities, and a decline in resident wellbeing. Though many of these changes negatively impacted the education and wellness of residents, positive outcomes include the transition to a virtual platform and the explosion of online resources for radiology. Programs also developed many strategies to combat the effects of the pandemic which can be utilized in future pandemics.