Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences

.: ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Medical Interns' Perceptions and Attitudes During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study
Tıbbi İntörnlerin COVID-19 Pandemisi Sırasındaki Algı ve Tutumları: Niteliksel bir Çalışma
Abdullah ALMAQHAWIa, Abdulsattar KHANa, Mohammed ALBARQIa, Abdullah ALMULHIMa, Sayed Ibrahim ALIa,b
aDepartment of Family Medicine and Community, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia
bCollege of Education, Helwan University, Egypt
Turkiye Klinikleri J Med Sci. 2023;43(1):112-8
doi: 10.5336/medsci.2022-89488
Article Language: EN
Full Text
ABSTRACT
 Objective: This study was designed to explore the potential association between the severity of the impact of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on perceptions and attitudes among medical interns. Material and Methods: The study was carried out as qualitative key informant semi-structured interviews, and were enrolled from September-October 2020 using a convenience sampling was used to recruit nine medical interns at King Faisal University College of Medicine, Saudi Arabia. Data were analyzed qualitatively using framework analysis. Semi-structured interviews were performed in Microsoft Teams (online) for an average of 21 minutes, and the English language was utilized. A thematic analysis was done to identify the main concerns of the interns about education loss. Results: Nine participants (4 male medical interns and 5 female interns) were interviewed. The interview time averaged 18.4 minutes (range 17-21 minutes) and the mean age of the sample was 24 (standard deviation 0.707) years. Interns were more likely to be anxious, panic-ridden, horrified, depressed, stressful and disorganised due to the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on interns' organization of hospital rotation schedules. Furthermore, there is disagreement on the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on preparation for the Medical Licensing Exams. Conclusion: It should be ensured that the pandemic does not affect any more interns on medical rotations, by raising awareness through a bundle of educational courses.

Keywords: COVID-19; stress; anxiety; medical intern; qualitative researc
ÖZET
 Amaç: Bu çalışma, koronavirüs hastalığı 2019 (COVID-19) pandemisinin etkisinin şiddeti ile intörnlerin algı ve tutumları arasındaki potansiyel ilişkiyi araştırmak amacıyla tasarlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Çalışma, nitel anahtar bilgilendirici yarı-yapılandırılmış görüşmeler olarak yürütülmüştür ve Suudi Arabistan King Faisal Üniversitesi Tıp Koleji'nden dokuz uygun intörn toplamak için uygunluk örneklemesi kullanılarak Eylül-Ekim 2020 arasında kayda alınmıştır. Veriler, çerçeve analizi kullanılarak niteliksel olarak analiz edilmiştir. Yarı-yapılandırılmış görüşmeler Microsoft Teams (çevrimiçi) platformunda, ortalama 21 dakika sürecek şekilde İngilizce dili kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. İntörnlerin eğitim kaybı hakkındaki temel endişelerini belirlemek için bir tematik analiz yapılmıştır. Bulgular: Dokuz katılımcı (4 erkek tıbbi intörn ve 5 kadın intörn) ile görüşme yapılmıştır. Görüşme ortalama 18,4 dakika sürmüş (17-21 dakika arası) ve ortalama yaş 24'tür (standart sapma 0,707). İntörnler COVID-19 pandemisi etkisinden dolayı daha çok kaygılı, panik halinde, korkmuş, stresli ve düzensiz haller sergilemişlerdir. Ek olarak, COVID-19 pandemisinin intörnlerin hastane rotasyon programları organizasyonu üzerinde de etkileri olmuştur. Dahası, COVID-19 epidemi etkisi Tıbbi Lisans Sınavı hazırlıklarında da anlaşmazlık yaratmıştır. Sonuç: Bir dizi eğitim kursu ile farkındalık yaratılarak, pandeminin tıbbi rotasyonlardaki intörnleri daha fazla etkilememesi sağlanmalıdır.

Anahtar Kelimeler: COVID-19; stres; kaygı; tıbbi intörn; niteliksel çalışma
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