Online surgical education adopted among urology residency programs in response to COVID-19: A pilot study

To understand the residents' perceptions of the, COVID-19 driven, newly implemented online learning systems adopted among accredited urology residency programs nationwide, and their sustainability following the pandemic era.

A survey was designed and dispersed to urology program coordinators and directors to distribute to their residents. In the survey, Online education models was the all-encompassing term to describe any form of resident education that occurred online. Anonymous surveys were exported from Survey Monkey and data was analyzed for statistical significance.

Over 70% of urology residents agreed or were neutral to the statement that Online education models were equivalent to in-person learning. Only 13% of residents stated that online learning should not be continued following the pandemic. Several different parameters were assessed, and only 5 of them showed statistical significance. Stress, personal engagement, interpersonal communication efficiency and non-verbal cues were all lower with online education models. The only attribute that was scored higher by residents was network connectivity issues.

An overwhelming majority of urology residents in the United States believe Online education models should continue to be adopted once the pandemic is over.