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Virtual Spine: A Novel, International Teleconferencing Program Developed to Increase the Accessibility of Spine Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Rasouli, JJ; Shin, JH; Than, KD; Gibbs, WN; Baum, GR; Baaj, AA
Published in: World Neurosurg
August 2020

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus identified in 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic effectively ended all major spine educational conferences in the first half of 2020. In response, the authors formed a "virtual" case-based conference series directed at delivering spine education to health care providers around the world. We herein share the technical logistics, early participant feedback, and future direction of this initiative. METHODS: The Virtual Global Spine Conference (VGSC) was created in April 2020 by a multiinstitutional team of spinal neurosurgeons and a neuroradiologist. Biweekly virtual meetings were established wherein invited national and international spine care providers would deliver case-based presentations on spine and spine surgery-related conditions via teleconferencing. Promotion was coordinated through social media platforms such as Twitter. RESULTS: VGSC recruited more than 1000 surgeons, trainees, and other specialists, with 50-100 new registrants per week thereafter. An early survey to the participants, with 168 responders, indicated that 92% viewed the content as highly valuable to their practice and 94% would continue participating post COVID-19. Participants from the United States (29%), Middle East (16%), and Europe (12%) comprised the majority of the audience. Approximately 52% were neurosurgeons, 18% orthopedic surgeons, and 6% neuroradiologists. A majority of participants were physicians (55%) and residents/fellows (21%). CONCLUSIONS: The early success of the VGSC reflects a strong interest in spine education despite the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing guidelines. There is widespread opinion, backed by our own survey results, that many clinicians and trainees want to see "virtual" education continue post COVID-19.

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Published In

World Neurosurg

DOI

EISSN

1878-8769

Publication Date

August 2020

Volume

140

Start / End Page

e367 / e372

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Training Support
  • Telecommunications
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Spine
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Pneumonia, Viral
  • Pandemics
  • Orthopedic Surgeons
  • Humans
  • Health Personnel
 

Citation

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Rasouli, J. J., Shin, J. H., Than, K. D., Gibbs, W. N., Baum, G. R., & Baaj, A. A. (2020). Virtual Spine: A Novel, International Teleconferencing Program Developed to Increase the Accessibility of Spine Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic. World Neurosurg, 140, e367–e372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2020.05.191
Rasouli, Jonathan J., John H. Shin, Khoi D. Than, Wende N. Gibbs, Griffin R. Baum, and Ali A. Baaj. “Virtual Spine: A Novel, International Teleconferencing Program Developed to Increase the Accessibility of Spine Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic.World Neurosurg 140 (August 2020): e367–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2020.05.191.
Rasouli, Jonathan J., et al. “Virtual Spine: A Novel, International Teleconferencing Program Developed to Increase the Accessibility of Spine Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic.World Neurosurg, vol. 140, Aug. 2020, pp. e367–72. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2020.05.191.
Rasouli JJ, Shin JH, Than KD, Gibbs WN, Baum GR, Baaj AA. Virtual Spine: A Novel, International Teleconferencing Program Developed to Increase the Accessibility of Spine Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic. World Neurosurg. 2020 Aug;140:e367–e372.
Journal cover image

Published In

World Neurosurg

DOI

EISSN

1878-8769

Publication Date

August 2020

Volume

140

Start / End Page

e367 / e372

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Training Support
  • Telecommunications
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Spine
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Pneumonia, Viral
  • Pandemics
  • Orthopedic Surgeons
  • Humans
  • Health Personnel