Apheresis medicine education during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

Angela Treml; Sarita A Joshi; Laura Dilly Stephens; Nicole D Zantek; Yvette C Tanhehco; Holli M Mason; Yanhua Li; Poyyapakkam Srivaths; Adela D Mattiazzi; Joseph Schwartz; Gay Wehrli

doi:10.1111/trf.17481

Apheresis medicine education during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

Transfusion. 2023 Aug;63(8):1580-1589. doi: 10.1111/trf.17481. Epub 2023 Jul 8.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Versiti WI, Department of Pathology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
² Labcorp Drug Development, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
³ Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
⁴ Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
⁵ Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
⁶ Department of Pathology, Harbor-UCLA and Olive View-UCLA Medical Centers, Los Angeles, California, USA.
⁷ Department of Medicine and Department of Pathology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.
⁸ Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
⁹ Division of Nephrology and Hypertension and Miami Transplant Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Pathology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA.
¹¹ University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center, Ashland OH and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

PMID: 37421258
DOI: 10.1111/trf.17481

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic introduced challenges and disruption across healthcare, including apheresis medicine (AM). In this study, we report findings from a survey conducted among American Society for Apheresis Physician Committee (ASFA-PC) members to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on AM education practices.

Study design and methods: A voluntary, anonymous, 24-question, institutional review board-approved survey regarding AM teaching during the pandemic was distributed to ASFA-PC members in the United States between December 1, 2020, and December 15, 2020. Descriptive analyses were reported as number and frequency of respondents for each question. Free text responses were summarized.

Results: Responses were received from 14/31 (45%) of ASFA-PC members, of whom 12 practiced at academic institutions. Among these, 11/12 (92%) transitioned to virtual platform for AM trainee conferences during the pandemic. A variety of resources were employed to support independent AM learning. While 7/12 (58%) respondents did not change the informed consent process for AM procedures, others delegated this process or introduced remote alternatives. The most common method respondents used to conduct AM patient rounding was a hybrid in-person/virtual model.

Conclusion: This survey describes the adaptations and changes AM practitioners made to trainee education in response to the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The transition to virtual and/or hybrid trainee learning and AM rounds underscores the importance of digital AM resources. Further study of the effects of the pandemic and its impact on AM trainee education, as well as patient care is warranted.

Keywords: COVID-19; apheresis; education; pandemic; remote.

MeSH terms

Blood Component Removal* / methods
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Education, Medical*
Humans
Pandemics
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States