Logo

American Heart Association

  2
  0


Final ID: Su1133

Impact of COVID-19 on Cardiology Fellows and Faculty in the United States: Two Years Later

Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Introduction: Recent data demonstrated that the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected cardiovascular fellows in training (cFIT) and faculty in terms of educational disruption and search for job prospects, respectively. However, less is known about the pandemic's effect on cFIT and faculty in terms of general well-being, shifts in personal and professional priorities, quantitative measures of stress levels, and research productivity.

Methods: A national survey targeting cFIT and faculty was developed to assess the effect of the pandemic two years later on these parameters. Fifty-four participants, including 21 cFIT and 33 faculty, responded to the survey. The survey was distributed between October 2021 and May 2022 to program directors of ACGME-accredited general cardiology fellowship programs in the United States.

Results: 30% of cFITs perceived impaired clinical training during the pandemic; 36% of fellows experienced a decline in their clinical skills in the cardiac catheterization lab, while 27% experienced a decrease in their echocardiographic skills. Additionally, a significant percentage of cFIT reported negative interference in their competencies in nuclear cardiology (27%) and electrophysiology (12%). Most participants (76%), including faculty and fellows, reported several health issues such as sleep problems, low energy, changes in appetite, difficulty concentrating, and restlessness due to the pandemic. 43% of the faculty and 61% of cFIT reported high rates of impaired short-term productivity (Figure).

Conclusion: In this national survey, we found that two years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, cardiology fellows and faculty continued to experience significant concerns for decreased hands-on training and diminished research productivity. While faculty were not distressed regarding decreased clinical competencies, concerns about short-term and long-term research productivity persisted. Faculty and fellows all experienced increased stress levels and impaired productivity. Although limited by a small sample size, which can introduce bias, these results signal the importance of performing a follow-up study on the impact of COVID-19 on wellness as well as the impact on career.
  • Chitsazan, Mandana  ( Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School , Boston , Massachusetts , United States )
  • Hu, Jiun-ruey  ( Yale New Haven Hospital , New Haven , Connecticut , United States )
  • Pires, Jacqueline  ( Yale New Haven Hospital , New Haven , Connecticut , United States )
  • Obradovic, Aleksandar  ( Columbia University Irving Medical Center , New York , New York , United States )
  • Gulati, Martha  ( Cedars-Sinai , Los Angeles , California , United States )
  • Clark, Katherine  ( Yale New Haven Hospital , New Haven , Connecticut , United States )
  • Z Ali, Yehia  ( University of Pittsburg , Pittusburg , Pennsylvania , United States )
  • Altin, Elissa  ( Yale University , New Haven , Connecticut , United States )
  • Kwan, Jennifer  ( Yale New Haven Hospital , New Haven , Connecticut , United States )
  • Author Disclosures:
    Mandana Chitsazan: DO NOT have relevant financial relationships | Jiun-Ruey Hu: DO NOT have relevant financial relationships | Jacqueline Pires: No Answer | Aleksandar Obradovic: No Answer | Martha Gulati: DO NOT have relevant financial relationships | Katherine Clark: DO NOT have relevant financial relationships | Yehia Z Ali: DO NOT have relevant financial relationships | Elissa Altin: DO NOT have relevant financial relationships | Jennifer Kwan: DO NOT have relevant financial relationships
Meeting Info:

Scientific Sessions 2024

2024

Chicago, Illinois

Session Info:
More abstracts on this topic:
More abstracts from these authors:
No Second Breakfast: GLP-1 agonists for HFpEF, obesity and AF

Gulati Martha, Sanders Prashanthan

Panel Participant

Gulati Martha

You have to be authorized to contact abstract author. Please, Login
Not Available