key: cord-0948671-cld9qstk
authors: Keswani, Sundeep G.; Parikh, Umang M.; Gosain, Ankush; Ghaferi, Amir A.; Thomas, Jayshree S.; Dudeja, Vikas; Kim, Eugene S.; Zuckerbraun, Brian S.; Goldstein, Allan M.
title: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Surgical Research and Lessons for the Future
date: 2020-09-19
journal: Surgery
DOI: 10.1016/j.surg.2020.09.012
sha: 781421090c74dc66cf8145b979f144db100b6697
doc_id: 948671
cord_uid: cld9qstk

BACKGROUND: The current COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on all physicians and has resulted in dramatic changes to clinical and research operations. No study has yet looked at the impact of COVID-19 on the surgical research community. In this study, we sought to understand the impact of the pandemic and its associated restrictions on academic surgeons. METHODS: We surveyed members of the Association for Academic Surgery (AAS) and Society of University Surgeons (SUS). Survey questions included demographics, current challenges to basic and clinical research activities, attitudes towards remote work and productivity maintenance, and the solutions implemented to maintain productivity. RESULTS: Of 301 respondents, 70% cited a negative impact on research productivity due to mandatory building shutdowns, minimized personnel due to social distancing, and suspensions of animal work and clinical trials, with senior faculty and division chiefs/chairs more likely to report a negative impact (p=0.001). Only 11% of respondents are documenting their financial losses, and only 19% indicated they received appropriate guidance regarding why and how to monitor the financial impact of the pandemic. Researchers have attempted to maintain research productivity through a focus on remote work, including manuscript writing, grant writing and data analysis. Some participants have found silver linings, including more time to dedicate to research and family due to fewer clinical duties. CONCLUSIONS: Productivity strategies developed during the pandemic, including writing, remote work and meetings, and structured scheduling, are lessons that will allow the surgical research community to be resilient in the face of future disruptions.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is an unprecedented crisis 24 with far-reaching impact. It has put a heavy burden on frontline personnel, including surgeons, 25 and has caused incredible public health and economic disruptions. Surgeons are accustomed to 26 responding to crises in the operating room and, during the current pandemic, are being called to 27 apply their crisis management tools in new ways to combat the effects of the pandemic on their 

A questionnaire was developed to ascertain demographic data, assess the current 43 challenges that surgeon scientists are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic, and identify 44 potential solutions to maintain productivity. Survey topics included the financial impacts of the orders. The survey was validated for content and clarity by the Basic and Translational Science 48 Committee of the Association for Academic Surgery (AAS) and the Research Committee of the 49 Society of University Surgeons (SUS). The questionnaire was circulated via email distribution to 50 the membership of the AAS and the SUS. Data were collected from April 6-10, 2020. We 51 elected to have a short distribution period to minimize time as a confounding variable, given the 52 rapidly evolving situation during the COVID-19 pandemic; accordingly, the expected response 53 rate was anticipated to be lower than that of prior surveys disseminated through the AAS and 54 SUS network. All personal or identifiable information was removed prior to analysis to ensure 55 anonymity. Respondents were stratified by academic rank, defined as trainee (medical student, J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f 

Elective surgery in the time

The authors acknowledge the editorial support of Monica Fahrenholtz,