Coordinated responses of academic medical centres to pandemics: Sustaining medical education during COVID-19

Abstract

Background: The Corona Virus Disease-19 (COVID-19) has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). We state the consolidated and systematic approach for academic medical centres in response to the evolving pandemic outbreaks for sustaining medical education.

Discussion: Academic medical centres need to establish a ‘COVID-19 response team’ in order to make time-sensitive decisions while managing pandemic threats. Major themes of medical education management include leveraging on remote or decentralised modes of medical education delivery, maintaining the integrity of formative and summative assessments while restructuring patient-contact components, and developing action plans for maintenance of essential activities based on pandemic risk alert levels. These core principles must be applied seamlessly across the various fraternities of academic centres: undergraduate education, residency training, continuous professional development and research. Key decisions from the pandemic response teams that help to minimise major disruptions in medical education and to control disease transmissions include: minimising inter-cluster cross contaminations and plans for segregation within and among cohorts; reshuffling academic calendars; postponing or restructuring assessments.

Conclusions: While minimising the transmission of the pandemic outbreak within the healthcare establishments is paramount, medical education and research activities cannot come to a standstill each time there is a threat of one.

Keywords:

• e-Learning/computers
• undergraduate
• general
• public health

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Glossary

COVID-19: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (previously called 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV))

MERS: Middle East respiratory syndrome

PPE: Personal protective equipment; includes the use of protective gloves, gown, mask and splash proof gear

SARS: Severe acute respiratory syndrome

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Balakrishnan Ashokka

Balakrishnan Ashokka, MBBS, FANZCA, EDRA, MHPE, is a Simulation Program Director (Anaesthesia), Consultant Anaesthesiologist and Course Coordinator for team training for Faculty and Inter-professional Education for undergraduates and residents.

Say Yang Ong

Say Yang Ong, MBBS, MMed, FANZCA, is a Consultant Anaesthesiologist and Medical Educator with the Department of Anaesthesia, National University Health System, Singapore.

Kwang Hui Tay

Kwang Hui Tay, MBBS, MMed, FANZCA, FFPMANZCA, is a Senior Consultant Anaesthesiologist and Chief Exam Coordinator for postgraduate anaesthesia examinations, Singapore.

Ne Hooi Will Loh

Ne Hooi Will Loh, FRCA, is a Research Director, Intensivist and Consultant Anaesthesiologist with the Department of Anaesthesia, National University Health System, Singapore.

Chen Fun Gee

Chen Fun Gee, FANZCA, is Director of Division of Graduate Medical Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, and Co-Chairman, Joint Committee of Specialist Training, Singapore.

Dujeepa D. Samarasekera

Dujeepa D. Samarasekera, MHPE, FAMS, FAMEE, FRCPE, is the Director, Centre for Medical Education, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, and Senior Consultant, Ministry of Health, Singapore.