COVID-19 Impact in Neurosurgery Residency: Grit During Pandemic

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease−19 (COVID) pandemic has presented a significant challenge to health care providers. Neurosurgical patients are often critically ill and at particularly high risk for COVID, and the pandemic has produced ever-shifting circumstances to allow their continued care. This study explores the psychologic impact of the pandemic on neurosurgical residents at a single institution. METHODS: Residents completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Inventory of Depressive Symptomology 30 (IDS-30), two validated surveys, before and during the pandemic. PSS scores range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicative of increased stress. IDS-30 ranges from 0 to 84 with higher scores indicating more severe levels of depression. Survey results were compared collectively among residents and statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The surveys had 19 out of 28 total responders (68%). Mean score on the PSS was 16.1 prepandemic and 14.7 during the pandemic (P > 0.05). The mean score on the IDS-30 was 14.7 prepandemic and 12.0 during the pandemic (P > 0.05). Matching the survey questionnaire results by each resident revealed an average decrease of 2.3 and 2.4 for the PSS and IDS-30, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant changes in perceived stress or depressive symptoms among neurosurgical residents during the pandemic.