Impact of COVID-19 on surgical cases for urology resident training

Editor's Note

This study from researchers at the Urology Institute, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, examines the impact of COVID-19 on surgical cases for urology residents and finds that despite widespread disruptions in surgical care, there will likely be minimal detriment to training over time.

Using data from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education resident case logs, there was an approximately 26 case per year increase for urological residents between 2016 and 2019, across all categories of procedures. In 2020, the first year of the pandemic, the average number of cases for urological residents declined sharply by about 67 cases. However, between 2020 and 2021, there was a rise in cases that was consistent with the prepandemic trend.

Further investigation is needed to find whether this is a return to prepandemic growth rates or a transient increase as procedures scheduled for 2020 were completed in 2021, the authors says.