The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Educational and Academic Activities of Healthcare Professionals in Bahrain.

Introduction: Since its emergence, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a radical effect on different aspects of health worldwide. The burden created by the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare systems has also involved educational and academic activities among healthcare professionals.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the participation of doctors and nurses in educational and academic activities in Bahrain.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted through an online questionnaire that was distributed among 204 healthcare providers (HCPs) in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Results: Out of 204 HCPs, 110 (53.9%) were doctors and 94 (46.1%) were nurses. A total of 154 responses were received (100 (64%) doctors and 54 (35.1%) nurses) with an overall response rate of 75.5%. Seventy-four (74%) doctors and 32 (59.2%) nurses stated that their overall academic activities had decreased since the start of the pandemic, yet this was not statistically significant (P=0.059). Unlike nurses, doctors attended more webinars 54 (54%) and online courses 47 (47%), compared to the time before the pandemic (P=0.022, P=0.014, respectively).

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on educational and academic activities among healthcare workers. However, it created an opportunity to expand the use of electronic and online methods in those activities.