Abstract:
Background: Driven by the need for online learning, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the increase of use of videoconferencing tools. Researchers began noticing an emerging phenomenon of feeling exhausted and fatigued during virtual meetings. This study aimed to measure the prevalence of videoconference fatigue among medical students, to determine demographic and academic parameters associated with it, and lastly to find out if there is any association between videoconference fatigue and psychological morbidities including stress, anxiety and depression among the studied group. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 325 medical students selected by convenience sampling in May to July 2022 in a large, public medical university in Egypt. Data was collected using well-structured self-administrated questionnaire that included demographic and academic parameters such as age, gender, BMI, online courses duration, academic performance; the standardized English version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress scale-21 (DASS-21), and the standardized English version of Zoom & Exhaustion Fatigue scale (ZEF). Results indicated that nearly half of medical students (53.5%) experienced high levels of videoconference fatigue. Gender, duration of videoconference meetings,s and poor ergonomic during online sessions were significant associated factors, also Students with higher mental illness (i.e., stress, anxiety, and depression) experienced higher zoom fatigue levels. Conclusion: Videoconference fatigue is relatively prevalent and may be taking its toll on medical students. Developing strategic interventions that can protect or mitigate the impact of fatigue during virtual meetings is needed.