Has 2020 been a lost year in orthopedic surgery and trauma training? Residents' perceptions

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic has affected specialized healthcare training at all levels. Surgical learning has been severely affected, and the impact on orthopedic surgery residency training has so far not been assessed. Material and methods An online survey of 17 questions was sent via web link to orthopedic surgery residents throughout Spain between February 10, 2021 and February 28, 2021. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the care and training activities of residents were analyzed. Results A total of 307 orthopedic surgery residents from all over Spain responded to the online survey. A total of 77.2% of the respondents had to suspend their rotations. Of these, 67.5% would like to resume the rotations they missed during the pandemic. A total of 69.7% of scheduled surgeries were suspended. Surgical activity was completely stopped for an average of 8 weeks. 66.8% of the residents consider that their surgical training has been affected and this will have repercussions on their future work. 49.5% considered the online training offered to be insufficient. Of the total number of respondents, 52.1% considered that the impact of the pandemic situation on their training situation was bad or very bad. Conclusions The data collection shows a negative impact on both theoretical and clinical training. This study highlights the need to continue offering quality training by maximizing learning opportunities.