More favourable QoL trajectories were observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, with pre-pandemic scores consistently lower, marked declines followed by only partial recovery, while the pandemic period was characterized by higher and more stable trajectories, particularly with sustained improvements in the environmental domain and greater stability in psychological and social well-being.
Physical health domain scores among medical trainees declined sharply in the first six months of training and showed partial recovery by month 42.
Psychological health scores showed a two-phase decline, with an initial drop at month 6 and a further decrease at month 24, followed by partial recovery by month 42.
Social relationships domain scores decreased from baseline and subsequently stabilized without full recovery.
Environmental domain scores improved over the study period, with higher values observed during the pandemic.
During the pre-pandemic period, QoL scores across all domains were consistently lower with marked initial declines and only partial subsequent recoveries.
The study sample consisted predominantly of young women in postgraduate medical training at a Colombian university.
The COVID-19 pandemic period was associated with higher and more stable QoL trajectories compared to the pre-pandemic period across multiple domains.
This research followed 420 medical residents and specialist trainees in Colombia over six years (2016–2022), measuring their quality of life every six months using a validated questionnaire (WHOQOL) that covers physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment. The study found that entering postgraduate medical training was associated with significant drops in quality of life, particularly in physical and psychological health, within the first six months. While some recovery occurred over time, quality of life never fully returned to baseline levels in most domains — suggesting that the demands of medical training have a lasting negative impact on trainees' well-being. Surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic period was not associated with worse quality of life compared to the pre-pandemic period. Instead, trainees during the pandemic reported higher and more stable scores, especially in environmental well-being, and showed greater psychological and social stability. This may reflect changes in training structure during the pandemic, such as reduced in-person obligations, remote learning, or shifts in workload distribution, though the study does not specify the exact causes. This research suggests that the structure and demands of medical training itself — independent of a global pandemic — may be a major driver of poor quality of life among trainees. The findings highlight an ongoing need to examine and potentially reform postgraduate medical training programs to better support trainee well-being, and raise questions about what protective factors during the pandemic might be applied to improve conditions in normal training environments.
Tuta-Quintero E, Diaz-Quijano D, Bastidas A, Rios F, Duque C, Munar L, et al.. (2026). Pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic changes in quality of life among medical trainees: impairment and recovery assessed using the WHOQOL questionnaire.. BMC medical education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-08578-0