Orthopedic Residents’ Perception of a Hybrid Hand Surgery Rotation during the COVID-19 Pandemic at the Philippine General Hospital: A Qualitative and Quantitative Study

Objectives. The objectives of the study were to determine the resident-physicians’ perspectives with regards the changes implemented in their Hand Surgery rotation at the Philippine General Hospital in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and establish correlation, if any, of these perspectives to their performance in the said rotation based on their final grades.Methods. Thirteen (13) residents were chosen for the study, all of which had rotated with the division at least once after the implementation of the changes were made, to answer an online survey and participate in an online group discussion, focusing on their feedback on the effects of these changes in terms of their skills and overall patient care.Results. In general, the participants agreed strongly to the usefulness of the hybrid set-up with Likert survey answers ranging from 3.5 to 4 points in favor of the changes implemented. Eleven of the 13 participants had their mean survey answer scores matched with their respective grades obtained during his/her rotation with the division, showing no correlation.Conclusion. The study showed a generally positive perception by the orthopedic residents to the hybrid set-up in the Hand Surgery rotation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. No clear correlations or trends were seen between the trainees’ perceptions of the changes implemented and his/her objective performance based on the final grade for his/her rotation. Potential topics for investigation related to this may focus on using larger sample size or clinical outcomes of cases done by trainees who have undergone the hybrid training set-up.