The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education of medical, dental and non-medical healthcare professionals in Bangladesh: findings and connotation

Introduction: Lockdown measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic had an appreciable impact on the education of all medical, dental and non-medical healthcare professional students. These included the closure of universities necessitating a rapid move to e-learning and a new practical approach to conducting teaching-learning classes. However, initially, there was a lack of knowledge and expertise regarding e-learning approaches and the affordability of internet bundles and equipment. Materials and Methods: We conducted two pilot studies to assess such current challenges, replaced by a two-stage approach including a full investigation involving 32 private and public universities during the early stages of the pandemic, followed by a later study assessing the current environment brought about by the forced tops. Results: The top challenges at the start of the pandemic included a lack of familiarity with the e-learning approaches, the cost of the internet, a lack of IT equipment and the quality of the classes. To address identified challenges, universities offered support to staff and students. Since then, e-learning approaches have widened the possibilities for teaching and learning at convenient times. However, challenges remain. Conclusions: There were considerable challenges at the start of the pandemic. Several key issues have been addressed with hybrid learning here to stay. The remaining challenges include a lack of ICT equipment. However, new innovations will continue.