Virtual Spine: A Novel, International Teleconferencing Program Developed to Increase the Accessibility of Spine Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Autor: Ali A. Baaj, Griffin R. Baum, Jonathan J Rasouli, Wende N. Gibbs, Khoi D. Than, John H. Shin
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
medicine.medical_specialty
Telemedicine
Health Personnel
media_common.quotation_subject
Pneumonia
Viral
coronavirus
Clinical Neurology
COVID-19
coronavirus
VGSC
virtual global spine conference
spine
APP
advanced practice provider
Article
Betacoronavirus
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Promotion (rank)
Surveys and Questionnaires
Health care
Pandemic
Humans
Medicine
Social media
Pandemics
media_common
SARS-CoV-2
business.industry
Social distance
Teleconference
teleconferencing
COVID-19
Orthopedic Surgeons
Training Support
Europe
030220 oncology & carcinogenesis
Family medicine
Orthopedic surgery
Telecommunications
virtual
Surgery
telemedicine
Neurology (clinical)
Coronavirus Infections
business
resident education
PPE
personal protective equipment
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Zdroj: World Neurosurgery
ISSN: 1878-8750
DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2020.05.191
Popis: Background The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic effectively ended all major spine educational conferences in the first half of 2020. In response, the authors formed a “virtual” case-based conference series directed at delivering spine education to healthcare providers around the world. We herein share the technical logistics, early participant feedback, and future direction of this initiative. Methods The Virtual Global Spine Conference (VGSC) was created in April 2020 by a multi-institutional team of spinal neurosurgeons and a neuroradiologist. Biweekly virtual meetings were established wherein invited national and international spine care providers would deliver case-based presentations on spine and spine surgery-related conditions via teleconferencing. Promotion was coordinated through social media platforms such as Twitter. Results VGSC recruited over 1000 surgeons, trainees and other specialists, with 50-100 new registrants per week thereafter. An early survey to the participants, with 168 responders, indicated that 92% viewed the content as highly valuable to their practice and 94% would continue participating post-COVID. Participants from the United States (29%), Middle East (16%), and Europe (12%) comprised the majority of the audience. Approximately 52% were neurosurgeons, 18% orthopaedic surgeons, and 6% neuroradiologists. A majority of participants were physicians (55%) and residents/fellows (21%). Conclusion The early success of the VGSC reflects a strong interest in spine education despite the COVID pandemic and social distancing guidelines. There is widespread opinion, backed by our own survey results, that many clinicians and trainees wish to see “virtual” education continue post-COVID.
Highlights • The coronavirus pandemic had a detrimental impact on spine education and societal conferences • Teleconferencing platforms have been increasingly used to replace in-person events • Virtual Global Spine Conference was created to deliver spine education during the pandemic • Early survey results demonstrate excellent participant enthusiasm for continued virtual education post-pandemic Abstract
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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