Objective: To determine the number of academic papers which have been submitted and published by ENT specialty trainees at each level of higher surgical training. Design: A cross-sectional survey was designed and validated according to the ‘Good Practice in Conduct of and Reporting of Survey Research’ checklist. Settings: Voluntary completion of a web-based questionnaire which was distributed to participants between 11 May – 22 June 2020. Participants: All ENT higher surgical trainees (ST3-ST8 level) in the UK. Main outcomes measured: The number of submitted and published articles by each higher surgical trainee. Comparisons were made between deaneries, training grades and trainees who had achieved a higher degree. Trainees in academic training pathways and those in less than full-time training were analysed separately. Results: One hundred fifty-three ENT speciality trainees across the UK took part in the survey, giving a national response rate of 46.5%. There was a slight male preponderance in the respondents, with 85 males and 68 females completing the survey. Across all years of training, the mean number of first author publications was three and for non-first author publications the mean number was two. For trainees at ST8 level, these numbers were nine and five, respectively. Trainees undertaking a PhD programme produced a mean number of nine first author publications – 5.31 more than the rest (p < 0.0001). Those in academic training pathways achieved 3.48 more publications compared to those who were not (p = 0.092). Trainees with additional undergraduate degrees and those in less than full-time training had an overall lower number of first author publications compared to the general cohort. Conclusions: ENT specialty trainees achieve a higher average number of academic publications than is currently required in order to successfully obtain a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT). This is particularly the case for trainees in an academic training programme and those with a higher degree. It is the authors’ hope that the data from this study will help in informing and guiding junior trainees, educational supervisors and training programme directors when considering the level of research engagement required for gaining a CCT.

Introduction:In late December 2019, a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown aetiology were reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province, Central China. The causative agent was subsequently identified as the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2, previously known as 2019-nCoV). The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was eventually declared as a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), having been detected in over 72 countries worldwide, with Europe and the United States now deemed the viral epicentres [1].Healthcare professionals (HCP) are considered high risk due to a multitude of factors including exposure to higher viral loads [2] and aerosolisation [3,4]. The rising number of deaths amongst healthcare professionals and burden of sick leave secondary to self-isolation, raises significant safety concerns during patient assessment and management. This is particularly of concern when undertaking droplet and aerosol generating procedures (AGP), although the evidence is derived largely from low quality studies [6]. Postulated mechanisms thought to generate aerosol and droplets include laryngeal activity (speech & coughing), high velocity gas flow, and cyclical opening and closure of distal airway. These have been found to generate particles in a range of sizes, increasing the viral load in confined spaces, and possibly increasing transmission risk.Recent literature suggests an increased risk posed to otorhinolaryngologists, as diagnostic, interventional and therapeutic procedures involving the upper aerodigestive tract, paranasal sinuses and middle ear exposes HCPs to both direct and indirect transmission of SARS-CoV-2 [7]. At the point of formulating this article, elective clinical workload has been reduced within the United Kingdom. Two-week-wait clinics have continued due to the prevalence and rising incidence of head and neck cancers [8], albeit at a significantly reduced capacity due to lengthened infection control measures.We describe a novel and cost-effective safety adjunct when undertaking flexible nasendoscopy (FNE) within ward/ outpatient settings.