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).