Late Breaking Abstract - Survey on pulmonologists’ clinical life during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented effect on healthcare systems worldwide. Members of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) were surveyed to obtain a rapid insight of pulmonologists’ clinical life and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.Objective: To explore to which extent the COVID-19 situation affected pulmonologists’ work and educational strategies.Method: An electronic survey was compiled and distributed to ERS members in February 2021. The survey was open in three months. Besides, answering demographic data, members were asked to rate six variables on a scale from 1-10 and answer two yes/no questions.Results: A total of 579 members completed the survey (2.4% of all members). Mean age was 45.4 ±11.4 years, and the gender almost equally distributed (female n=265, 46%). Most of the responses were provided by pulmonologists from public, university hospitals (n=306, 53%) and major public hospitals (n=135, 23%). One-hundred and fifty-seven (27.2%) members reported that they did not receive sufficient training related to the COVID-19 pandemic and more than one-third (36.3% (n=210)) have performed procedures that they did not feel competent in. Of the six investigated outcomes, the COVID-19 pandemic had the greatest impact on workload (median 8 (6-9)) and change in work schedule (median 8 (6-9)).Conclusion: The COVID-19 has had a significant impact on pulmonologists’ workload and change in work schedule. A large proportion have had to perform procedures without feeling competent. Our findings could aid preserving the pulmonologists’ wellbeing after the crisis and supports the need to establish educational activities to ensure competency in COVID-19 related procedures.FootnotesCite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2021; 58: Suppl. 65, OA2745.This abstract was presented at the 2021 ERS International Congress, in session “Prediction of exacerbations in patients with COPD”.This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).