Changes in clinical practice perceptions and mental health of sports medicine physicians due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had an immense impact on healthcare, but little has been published on its impact on sports medicine physicians. This study aimed to assess the perceived impacts of the pandemic on practice changes, financial implications, and mental health of the physician members of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM). Online surveys were sent to physician members of the AMSSM, with questions asking about demographic information and personal associations to COVID-19. The main outcome measures included self-reported clinical practice volumes, visit types (telemedicine, face-to-face), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) scores, personal finances, clarity of practice guidelines, and personal protective equipment (PPE) availability. A total of 825 respondents completed the initial survey, with a subset completing follow-ups. In-person clinical and procedural volumes were reported to be reduced to just 17.9% and 13.7% of the pre-pandemic baseline volumes at the first survey (March 2020), but increased to 81.1% and 77.3% (August 2020), respectively. PHQ-4 anxiety subscores significantly decreased over time (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001); younger physicians and female physicians were more likely to have higher scores (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Reported physician income significantly increased over time (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05), and financial concerns steadily decreased (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). The perception of having an adequate PPE significantly increased over the study (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) but not for having clear practice guidelines (<i>p</i> &gt; 0.05). Physicians have become increasingly aware of others testing positive for the virus, but not themselves or someone they live with. Sports medicine physicians have been heavily impacted by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, with some recovery since it started. Sports medicine physicians should be aware of pandemic-related practice changes and resulting mental health and financial implications.

新型冠状病毒（SARS-CoV-2）大流行对全球医疗体系造成了极为深远的影响，但目前针对其对运动医学医师的影响相关研究成果却较为匮乏。本研究旨在评估此次大流行对美国运动医学学会（American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, AMSSM）会员医师的执业变更、财务影响及心理健康的感知情况。研究通过向该学会的医师会员发放线上问卷，收集其人口统计学信息以及与新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）相关的个人经历。本研究的主要结局指标包括自我报告的临床诊疗量、就诊类型（远程医疗，telemedicine；面对面诊疗，face-to-face）、患者健康问卷（Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ-4）评分、个人财务状况、执业指南清晰度以及个人防护装备（personal protective equipment, PPE）可及性。本研究共回收825份初始问卷有效回复，其中部分受试者完成了后续随访调查。首次调研（2020年3月）结果显示，线下临床诊疗与操作量分别仅为大流行前基线水平的17.9%与13.7%；至2020年8月，该两项指标分别回升至81.1%与77.3%。PHQ-4焦虑维度评分随时间推移显著降低（p < 0.001）；年轻医师与女性医师的评分普遍更高（p < 0.05）。报告显示医师收入随时间显著提升（p < 0.05），财务顾虑则持续减少（p < 0.001）。受试者对个人防护装备充足的认可度随研究推进显著提升（p < 0.001），但对执业指南清晰性的感知未出现显著变化（p > 0.05）。医师群体对他人新冠病毒检测阳性的知晓率逐渐升高，但自身或同住人员检测阳性的比例未出现明显变化。运动医学医师群体深受新型冠状病毒大流行的影响，不过疫情初期后该群体的执业状况已有所恢复。临床工作中应关注运动医学医师所面临的疫情相关执业变更，以及由此引发的心理健康与财务层面的影响。