Thomaier Lauren, Teoh Deanna, Jewett Patricia, Beckwith Heather, Parsons Helen, Yuan Jianling, Blaes Anne H, Lou Emil, Hui Jane Yuet Ching, Vogel Rachel I
medRxiv. 2020 Jun 12:2020.06.11.20128702. doi: 10.1101/2020.06.11.20128702.
Cancer care is significantly impacted by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of the pandemic on the emotional well-being of oncology providers across the United States and explore factors associated with anxiety and depression symptoms.
A cross-sectional survey was administered to United States cancer-care physicians recruited over a two-week period (3/27/2020-4/10/2020) using snowball-convenience sampling through social media. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4).
Of 486 participants, 374 (77.0%) completed the PHQ-4: mean age 45.7 +/- 9.6 years; 63.2% female; all oncologic specialties were represented. The rates of anxiety and depression symptoms were 62.0% and 23.5%, respectively. Demographic factors associated with anxiety included female sex, younger age, and less time in clinical practice. Perception of inadequate PPE (68.6% vs. 57.4%, p=0.03) and practicing in a state with more COVID-19 cases (65.8% vs. 51.1%, p=0.01) were associated with anxiety symptoms. Factors significantly associated with both anxiety and depression included: degree to which COVID-19 has interfered with the ability to provide treatment to cancer patients and concern that patients will not receive the level of care needed for non-COVID-19 illness (all p-values <0.01).
The prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms among oncology physicians in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic is high. Our findings highlight factors associated with and sources of psychological distress to be addressed to protect the well-being of oncology physicians.
2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行对癌症护理产生了重大影响。我们的目标是评估该大流行对美国肿瘤护理人员情绪健康的影响，并探讨与焦虑和抑郁症状相关的因素。
通过社交媒体采用雪球式便利抽样法，对在两周时间内（2020年3月27日至2020年4月10日）招募的美国癌症护理医生进行了一项横断面调查。使用患者健康问卷（PHQ-4）测量焦虑和抑郁症状。
在486名参与者中，374名（77.0%）完成了PHQ-4：平均年龄45.7±9.6岁；女性占63.2%；涵盖所有肿瘤专科。焦虑和抑郁症状的发生率分别为62.0%和23.5%。与焦虑相关的人口统计学因素包括女性、较年轻的年龄以及临床实践时间较短。对个人防护装备不足的认知（68.6%对57.4%，p=0.03）以及在COVID-19病例较多的州执业（65.8%对51.1%，p=0.01）与焦虑症状相关。与焦虑和抑郁均显著相关的因素包括：COVID-19对为癌症患者提供治疗能力的干扰程度以及担心患者无法获得非COVID-19疾病所需的护理水平（所有p值<0.01）。
在COVID-19大流行期间，美国肿瘤医生中焦虑和抑郁症状的患病率很高。我们的研究结果突出了与心理困扰相关的因素和根源，需要加以解决以保护肿瘤医生的健康。
