Factors Affecting Gastroenterologists' Fear When Performing Endoscopies during the COVID Pandemic: Results of a US National Survey

Authors

Reem Q. Al Shabeeb, From the Department of Medicine, INOVA-Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, Virginia.
Esther Lee, the Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, The George Washington University, Washington, DC.
Muhammad El Shatanofy, the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.
Erika Pashai, the Department of Medicine.
Ivy Benjenk, the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC.
Marian Sherman, the Department of Anesthesiology, Johns Hopkins Medicine at Sibley Memorial Hospital, Washington, DC.
Eric Heinz, the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC.
David Yamane
Marie L. Borum, the Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, The George Washington University, Washington, DC.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

3-1-2025

Journal

Southern medical journal

Volume

118

Issue

3

DOI

10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001795

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected the practice of gastroenterology. Endoscopic procedures are aerosolizing procedures that carry the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Our national survey examined factors affecting gastroenterologists' fear of contracting COVID-19 during endoscopy. METHODS: An institutional review board-approved multicenter cross-sectional study used a snowball sample approach to disseminate a 42-question survey to gastroenterologists during a 3-month period in 2021, during the height of the pandemic. Physician demographics, information about personal protective equipment (PPE), negative pressure rooms, and COVID-19 vaccination status was collected. Likert scales were used to evaluate gastroenterologists' fear when performing endoscopy. Analysis was performed using Pearson's χ, Mann-Whitney U, and Wilcoxon rank tests, with significance set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: Results from 69 respondents showed that 91.3% believed that PPE was adequate, 52.2% had PPE education and training, and 47.8% reported that PPE education decreased their fear of contracting COVID-19 during endoscopy. Fear decreased from first to subsequent endoscopies (P < 0.0005) and after COVID-19 vaccination (P < 0.0005). Higher levels of fear were associated with having comorbid conditions (P = 0.048), being the primary caregiver for or living with a person 65 years old or older (P = 0.041), having had to quarantine during the pandemic (P = 0.017), having not performed a procedure because of infectious risks (P = 0.005), and living with someone with comorbid conditions (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Multiple factors affect gastroenterologists' fear of contracting COVID-19 during endoscopic procedures. Lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic about mitigating gastroenterologists' fear are potentially applicable to future circumstances that may be associated with significant infectious concerns.

APA Citation

Al Shabeeb, Reem Q.; Lee, Esther; El Shatanofy, Muhammad; Pashai, Erika; Benjenk, Ivy; Sherman, Marian; Heinz, Eric; Yamane, David; and Borum, Marie L., "Factors Affecting Gastroenterologists' Fear When Performing Endoscopies during the COVID Pandemic: Results of a US National Survey" (2025). GW Authored Works. Paper 6881.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/6881

Department

School of Medicine and Health Sciences Resident Works