Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA.
Hematology, Oncology, Blood & Marrow Transplant Program, Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, AB, Canada.
J Psychosoc Oncol. 2021;39(3):428-444. doi: 10.1080/07347332.2021.1912245. Epub 2021 Apr 22.
Describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work structure, daily care provided, personal lives, and practice models for pediatric oncology social workers (POSW).
Cross-sectional online survey on APOSW professional listserv from 10/5/2020 to 11/20/2020.
101 surveys were completed by POSW from 31 states and the District of Columbia.
Data were summarized descriptively and with semantic content analyses.
Surveys were completed by social workers from diverse work settings. Seventy-five percent of social workers were deemed "essential," and 45% reported working primarily from home. Most (56%) adopted a form of telehealth for patient care, although 71% did not receive telehealth training and 87% perceived lesser quality of care with telehealth. Nearly 80% of respondents reported not being able to provide optimum psychosocial care. Notable stressors on social work practice included worry about exposure to COVID-19, limited resources, lack of contact with and increased emotional needs of patients and families, managing patient and family concerns about COVID-19, and isolation from colleagues. Inequity and social justice issues were identified. Despite challenges, over 60% of POSW endorsed positive changes to their work life resulting from the pandemic.
CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, POSW have adapted to a changing work environment, different modes of service provision, and stark health inequities to meet the needs of patients and families in a crisis.
COVID-19 vastly impacted the personal and professional lives of POSW, warranting attentiveness to lessons learned and future directions.
描述 COVID-19 大流行对儿科肿瘤社会工作者（POSW）的工作结构、日常护理、个人生活和实践模式的影响。
2020 年 10 月 5 日至 11 月 20 日，在 APOSW 专业名录的在线调查。
来自 31 个州和哥伦比亚特区的 101 份 POSW 完成了调查。
数据采用描述性和语义内容分析进行总结。
调查由来自不同工作环境的社会工作者完成。75%的社会工作者被认为是“必不可少的”，45%的人报告主要在家工作。大多数（56%）采用了一种远程医疗形式进行患者护理，尽管 71%的人没有接受远程医疗培训，87%的人认为远程医疗的护理质量较低。近 80%的受访者表示无法提供最佳的社会心理护理。对社会工作实践有显著影响的压力源包括担心感染 COVID-19、资源有限、与患者和家庭的接触减少、增加了患者和家庭的情绪需求、管理患者和家庭对 COVID-19 的担忧以及与同事隔离。还发现了不平等和社会公正问题。尽管面临挑战，但超过 60%的 POSW 认可了大流行给他们的工作生活带来的积极变化。
结论/解释：随着 COVID-19 大流行的持续，POSW 已经适应了不断变化的工作环境、不同的服务提供模式以及明显的健康不平等，以在危机中满足患者和家庭的需求。
COVID-19 极大地影响了 POSW 的个人和职业生活，需要关注经验教训和未来方向。
