Pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic changes in quality of life among medical trainees: impairment and recovery assessed using the WHOQOL questionnaire

Background: Medical trainees face high clinical demands that may negatively impact their quality of life (QoL). This study longitudinally assessed changes in QoL among residents and medical specialists in training and identified differences between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. Methods: A prospective study was conducted from 2016 to 2022 involving 420 postgraduate physicians from a Colombian university. Measurements were taken every six months over a 42-month period. QoL was assessed using the WHOQOL questionnaire, analyzing four domains: physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment. Domain scores were compared between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. Results: The mean age was 27.9 years (SD: 3), and 63.3% were women. In the physical health domain, scores decreased from 49.0 (SD: 13.1) at baseline to 40.1 (SD: 11.0) at month 6, with recovery to 47.6 (SD: 12.8) by month 42 (p < 0.001). Psychological health scores declined from 64.8 (SD: 10.1) to 57.1 (SD: 11.6) at month 6, dropped further at month 24 (43.6; SD: 11.3), and recovered to 60.1 (SD: 12.4) by month 42 (p < 0.001). Social relationships decreased from 68.2 (SD: 18.6) to 57.6 (SD: 19.6), then stabilized (p < 0.001). Environmental scores improved from 58.3 (SD: 12.9) at month 6 to 65.2 (SD: 14.3) at month 42, with higher values during the pandemic (p = 0.009). During the pre-pandemic period, scores were consistently lower, with initial declines and partial subsequent recoveries across all domains. In contrast, during the pandemic, higher scores and more stable trajectories were observed, with a progressive improvement in the environmental domain and greater stability in the psychological and social domains. Conclusion: More favourable QoL trajectories was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pre-pandemic scores were consistently lower, with marked declines followed by only partial recovery. In contrast, 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.