Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Canadian Surgical Residents: A Province-Wide Study

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgical residents.

Design: An online survey was distributed evaluating multiple domains: demographics, health and socioeconomic factors, clinical experience, educational experience, and psychological outcomes. The Mayo Clinic Resident Well-Being Index (RWBI) was used as a validated measure of resident mental health.

Setting and participants: Surgical residents from University of British Columbia's surgical residency programs.

Results: A total of 31/86 surgical residents responded to the survey. Of which, 57% and 46% reported feeling burned out or depressed, respectively. Residents who were concerned about personal protective equipment supply and who lived with family members with comorbidities had a higher risk of depression (p = 0.03, p = 0.04). The median Mayo Clinic Resident Well-Being Index was 2.5, higher than the median of 2 observed in the United States national survey of residents.

Conclusions: The pandemic had a considerable negative impact on the psychological well-being of surgical residents.