Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on urology residency training in Italy

In the global emergency scenario caused by COVID-19 pandemic, the Urology residents' training might be critically affected. To provide insights on this issue, a 25-item online Survey was sent to all Italian residents one month after the first case of COVID-19 in Italy, to evaluate their routine involvement in "clinical" (on-call duty, outpatient visits, diagnostic procedures) and "surgical" (endoscopic, open and minimally invasive surgery) training activities before and during the COVID-19 period. Overall, 351 of 577 (60.8%) residents completed the Survey. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of residents routinely involved in "clinical" and "surgical" activities ranged from 79.8% to 87.2% and from 49.3% to 73.5%, respectively. In the COVID-19 period, the proportion of residents experiencing a severe reduction (>40%) or complete suppression (>80%) of training exposure ranged between 41.1% and 81.2% for "clinical" activities while between 44.2% and 62.1% for "surgical" activities. This reduction was even more pronounced for residents attending the final year of training. Our study is the first to provide real-life data on how Urology residency training can be impaired during an emergency period. To address this challenge, strategies aiming to increase the use of telemedicine, "smart learning" programs and tele-mentoring of surgical procedures, are warranted.