EFFECTS OF THE SARS-COV-2 PANDEMIC ON MEDICAL EDUCATION IN ITALY: CONSIDERATIONS AND TIPS

The pandemic due to the spread of the novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been an unexpected challenge for national health systems worldwide. The severity of the disease has forced Governments to introduce measures of containment and mitigation, including social distancing, smart working, and the closure of commercial activities. Universities have also had to stop lectures and practical training, even for medical, dental, and healthcare students. Online lectures have replaced traditional classroom lectures, and they would appear to be adequate for the teaching of bioscience. In some instances, telemedicine activities have replaced the practicals. The latter maybe efficacious for general medical activity training, but may result in a gap in terms of training for surgical specialties. Therefore, the scientific community should consider carefully the influence that this period has had on medical education and whether the healthcare workers who have experienced these educational changes could be negatively impacted.