Back to 2024 Abstracts
Education in Adversity: A Pioneering Initiative to Enhance Surgical Knowledge in Wartime Ukraine
Ali Dzhemiliev
1, Solomiia Semeniv
2, Marta Antoniv
1, Inesa Huivaniuk
3, Michael Kochis
4, Mariana Kuryk
5, Galyna Shabat
6, Maksym Danylyshyn
1, Polina Zmijewski
7, Jennifer Davids
8, Nelya Melnitchouk
1
1Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 2The University Hospital in Krakow, Jagiellonian University Medical College; Krakow, Poland 3Kyiv Regional Oncologic Dispenser, Kyiv, Ukraine, 4Massachussets General Hospital, Boston, MA, 5Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Lviv, Ukraine, 6Policlinic San Donato, Italy, 7The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 8Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA
Background: The Russian invasion disrupted Ukraine's healthcare and surgical education. Our previous research assessing weaknesses in Ukrainian residency highlighted a lack of evidence-based lectures across programs, along with the urgent demand for high-quality surgical care. We established and evaluated a year-long online course intended to increase our Ukrainian colleagues’ surgical knowledge and confidence in patient management.
Methods: “Principles of Surgery” course involves 40 one-hour weekly virtual lectures from September 2023 to June 2024, taught in English by US and European surgeons, covering core topics and student-requested additions. Applicants were selected based on credentials and motivation. Lectures are recorded for public access. Evaluation includes pre- and post-course self-assessments on topic understanding and patient management confidence, analyzed with the Chi-square test.
Results: Forty-two learners were selected from 204 applicants, including 23 residents (54.7%), 16 early-career surgeons (38.1%), and 3 (7.1%) physicians from other specialties. By June 2024, 40 lectures had been completed, receiving positive feedback. The percentage of learners who rated their understanding of topics as “good” or “excellent” increased from 50.2% to 81.2% (p<0.05). Similarly, the percentage of people who rated their confidence in managing patients as “good” or “excellent” rose from 44.4% to 69.3% (p<0.05). Despite wartime challenges, all course participants were able to attend over 80% of the lectures.
Conclusion: Our online course begins to address critical gaps in Ukrainian surgical education and can serve as an example to enhance surgical education in times of crisis.
Back to 2024 Abstracts
