Materials & Methods
After exploratory discussions with trainees at differing levels of
training, a 45-question survey was generated to evaluate changes in
Otolaryngology trainee experiences related to participation in clinical
activities, concerns regarding safety and future career. IRB exemption
was obtained through MD Anderson Institutional Review Board through
expedited review. Responses were binary (yes or no) or measured on a
5-point Likert scale, with select open ended questions regarding impact
on future career, greatest challenges, and skills gained. Additional
demographic information including trainee level, length of training
program and geographic location was collected. Geographic location
included broad regions within the United States, based on US census
regions and Canada. Participation was voluntary and solicited
electronically. Program directors from the US and Canada were invited to
share the survey to their trainees. To maintain anonymity and compile
adequate data for evaluation, a minimum of 100 survey results were
sought. Survey responses were collected between April 14-21, 2020,
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Descriptive statistics were performed on aggregated survey results.
Subgroups were analyzed based on geographic location. Geographic
location was considered to be a high COVID-19 region if there were on
average greater than 100 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 persons, captured
April 21, 2020 (Supplemental Table 1). In addition, subgroups were
analyzed based on trainee level (Junior, PGY 1-3, compared to senior
level trainees, PGY 4-5 & fellows). Likert scale responses were treated
as ordinal categorical variables. Comparisons were made among answers
and respondent characteristics using Pearson’s Chi-squared test.
Correction for multiple testing was performed using the
Benjamini-Hochberg method. Statistical analysis was performed using
Microsoft Excel (2016, Microsoft Corporation, Seattle, WA) and Stata
version 14.1 (StataCorp, College Station, TX).