The effect of the initial months of the COVID-19 national lockdown on MMed training activities at the University of the Free State, South Africa

Background. Shortly after the first case of SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) had been reported in South Africa, a national lockdown was declared. Subsequently, the University of the Free State (UFS) changed from a contact delivery mode to remote multimodal teaching, learning and assessment. Objectives. To determine the effect of the initial months of the COVID-19 lockdown on MMed training activities at the UFS, specifically the demographic and health profile of students, research progress, academic activities and the clinical training environment. Methods. A cross-sectional study using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire was used. All registered MMed students at the UFS were eligible to participate. Results. A response was obtained from 134 (51.9%) of 258 registrars, most of whom were included in the analysis (n=118; 45.7%). Significant associations between the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on day-to-day clinical work and the ability to work on MMed research (p<0.01) and self-directed learning time (p<0.01) were noted. Changes in domestic circumstances affecting MMed research were reported by 26.9% of respondents. Worsening or new symptoms of stress were reported by 40.0% of respondents. Conclusion. The initial months of the COVID-19 lockdown might have far-reaching implications for registrars’ academic progress. Registrars experienced adverse psychosocial consequences that might impede their academic progress.