TY - JOUR
T1 - EFAS/EAN survey on the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on European clinical autonomic education and research
AU - Collaborators of European Network of Neurological Autonomic Laboratories
AU - Fanciulli, Alessandra
AU - Skorić, Magdalena Krbot
AU - Leys, Fabian
AU - Carneiro, Diogo Reis
AU - Campese, Nicole
AU - Calandra-Buonaura, Giovanna
AU - Camaradou, Jennifer
AU - Chiaro, Giacomo
AU - Cortelli, Pietro
AU - Falup-Pecurariu, Cristian
AU - Granata, Roberta
AU - Guaraldi, Pietro
AU - Helbok, Raimund
AU - Hilz, Max J
AU - Iodice, Valeria
AU - Jordan, Jens
AU - Kaal, Evert C A
AU - Kamondi, Anita
AU - Le Traon, Anne Pavy
AU - Rocha, Isabel
AU - Sellner, Johann
AU - Senard, Jean Michel
AU - Terkelsen, Astrid
AU - Wenning, Gregor K
AU - Moro, Elena
AU - Berger, Thomas
AU - Thijs, Roland D
AU - Struhal, Walter
AU - Habek, Mario
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - PURPOSE: To understand the influence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on clinical autonomic education and research in Europe.METHODS: We invited 84 European autonomic centers to complete an online survey, recorded the pre-pandemic-to-pandemic percentage of junior participants in the annual congresses of the European Federation of Autonomic Societies (EFAS) and European Academy of Neurology (EAN) and the pre-pandemic-to-pandemic number of PubMed publications on neurological disorders.RESULTS: Forty-six centers answered the survey (55%). Twenty-nine centers were involved in clinical autonomic education and experienced pandemic-related didactic interruptions for 9 (5; 9) months. Ninety percent (n = 26/29) of autonomic educational centers reported a negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education quality, and 93% (n = 27/29) established e-learning models. Both the 2020 joint EAN-EFAS virtual congress and the 2021 (virtual) and 2022 (hybrid) EFAS and EAN congresses marked higher percentages of junior participants than in 2019. Forty-one respondents (89%) were autonomic researchers, and 29 of them reported pandemic-related trial interruptions for 5 (2; 9) months. Since the pandemic begin, almost half of the respondents had less time for scientific writing. Likewise, the number of PubMed publications on autonomic topics showed the smallest increase compared with other neurological fields in 2020-2021 and the highest drop in 2022. Autonomic research centers that amended their trial protocols for telemedicine (38%, n = 16/41) maintained higher clinical caseloads during the first pandemic year.CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial negative impact on European clinical autonomic education and research. At the same time, it promoted digitalization, favoring more equitable access to autonomic education and improved trial design.
AB - PURPOSE: To understand the influence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on clinical autonomic education and research in Europe.METHODS: We invited 84 European autonomic centers to complete an online survey, recorded the pre-pandemic-to-pandemic percentage of junior participants in the annual congresses of the European Federation of Autonomic Societies (EFAS) and European Academy of Neurology (EAN) and the pre-pandemic-to-pandemic number of PubMed publications on neurological disorders.RESULTS: Forty-six centers answered the survey (55%). Twenty-nine centers were involved in clinical autonomic education and experienced pandemic-related didactic interruptions for 9 (5; 9) months. Ninety percent (n = 26/29) of autonomic educational centers reported a negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education quality, and 93% (n = 27/29) established e-learning models. Both the 2020 joint EAN-EFAS virtual congress and the 2021 (virtual) and 2022 (hybrid) EFAS and EAN congresses marked higher percentages of junior participants than in 2019. Forty-one respondents (89%) were autonomic researchers, and 29 of them reported pandemic-related trial interruptions for 5 (2; 9) months. Since the pandemic begin, almost half of the respondents had less time for scientific writing. Likewise, the number of PubMed publications on autonomic topics showed the smallest increase compared with other neurological fields in 2020-2021 and the highest drop in 2022. Autonomic research centers that amended their trial protocols for telemedicine (38%, n = 16/41) maintained higher clinical caseloads during the first pandemic year.CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial negative impact on European clinical autonomic education and research. At the same time, it promoted digitalization, favoring more equitable access to autonomic education and improved trial design.
KW - COVID-19/epidemiology
KW - Europe/epidemiology
KW - Humans
KW - Nervous System Diseases
KW - Pandemics
KW - Surveys and Questionnaires
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85173503726&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10286-023-00985-3
DO - 10.1007/s10286-023-00985-3
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 37792127
SN - 0959-9851
VL - 33
SP - 777
EP - 790
JO - Clinical Autonomic Research
JF - Clinical Autonomic Research
IS - 6
ER -