TECHNOLOGICAL BARRIERS OF LATINAMERICAN SURGICAL TRAINING CENTERS IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC: EXPERIENCES IN LOW RESOURCE ENVIRONMENTS

Reyes Monasterio, A R; Cabrera Vargas, L F; Reyes Herrera, T; Acevedo Parrales, J D

INTRODUCTION: In 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 pandemic merited the reorganization of health institutions. It was necessary to suspend a large number of elective surgical procedures. For this reason, many surgical programs adopted new education measures such as simulation and virtual meetings. However, the reality in low- and middle-income countries is very different; so these initiatives could be challenging. MATERIAL AND METHODS: It was an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study. During the period from March 1 to December 31, 2020. 4 Latin American countries (Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua and Venezuela) with a representative for each country. A survey was conducted in general surgery residents in order to assess the surgical education modalities used by training institutions to adapt the challenges of the SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: 63 residents were evaluated. 32% dońt have internet access from home. 44% dońt have access to the internet in their training centers. 52% of residents deny using any social media to support the learning process. 90% have access to a personal smart device. 79% dońt have access to any simulation system to complement their training. CONCLUSION: The internet access, the use of social media and simulation continues to be barriers to the learning process in times of pandemic in Latin American surgical residents.