Cancer Care Services, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, QLD Australia; University of Queensland Centre Clinical Research, Herston, QLD Australia; Metro North Health, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, QLD, Australia.
Cancer Care Services, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, QLD Australia; Department of Oncology, Monash Health, Clayton, VIC Australia; School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC Australia.
Semin Oncol. 2022 Dec;49(6):490-496. doi: 10.1053/j.seminoncol.2023.01.008. Epub 2023 Jan 27.
The declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in necessary and rapid changes to health service delivery. In the Australian context, it has been broadly identified that these impacts have been felt by health care workers (HCW) providing care. We aimed to capture oncology HCW perceptions of support, stress, personal ability to meet needs and institutional preparedness across longitudinal periods of COVID-19 response in the early stages of the pandemic.
An electronic survey was developed to measure the weekly impacts and distress experienced by HCW during the early phases of the pandemic. Hospital email communications relating to pandemic directives were noted. HCW included nursing, medical, ancillary staff and allied health team members at 2 study sites, 1 metropolitan and 1 regional center in Queensland, Australia. Descriptive statistics were applied to quantitative data, and a framework analysis for qualitative data. Key themes were synthesized using mixed methods approaches.
A total of 176 HCW consented to participate. Four key themes were identified. Key theme 1 was strategies for protection, and included the subthemes of self-isolation, using personal protective equipment (PPE), protecting patients and families and each other. Key theme 2 was navigating rules and keeping up, and included the subthemes of compliance, exceptions, conflict and complex decision fatigue. Key theme 3 was tempered optimism, with subthemes including this is grief, pride in one's place and strategies for coping. Key theme 4 was framing the new normal, with subthemes including using technology, second wave and uncertainty.
Staff groups reported the emotional impacts of rapid change across clinical areas and centers. Distress corresponded to rapid change amid uncertainty, rather than reported infection rates. These findings give insight into the experiences of patient facing oncology HCW during periods of uncertainty, potentially informing policy in the future.
COVID-19 大流行的宣布导致了医疗服务提供的必要和快速变革。在澳大利亚的背景下，人们普遍认为，这些影响已经波及到提供护理的医护人员（HCW）。我们的目的是在 COVID-19 大流行早期阶段，在疫情应对的纵贯期内，捕捉肿瘤学 HCW 对支持、压力、满足需求的个人能力和机构准备情况的看法。
开发了一份电子调查，以衡量 HCW 在大流行早期阶段每周所经历的影响和困扰。注意到与大流行指令相关的医院电子邮件通讯。HCW 包括来自澳大利亚昆士兰州两个研究地点（一个大都市和一个地区中心）的护理、医疗、辅助人员和联合健康团队成员。对定量数据应用描述性统计，对定性数据应用框架分析。使用混合方法方法综合主要主题。
共有 176 名 HCW 同意参与。确定了四个主要主题。主题 1 是保护策略，包括自我隔离、使用个人防护设备（PPE）、保护患者和家属以及相互保护等子主题。主题 2 是导航规则和保持联系，包括合规、例外、冲突和复杂决策疲劳等子主题。主题 3 是温和的乐观主义，包括这是悲伤、对自己的地方感到自豪和应对策略等子主题。主题 4 是构建新常态，包括使用技术、第二波和不确定性等子主题。
各员工群体报告了临床科室和中心快速变化带来的情绪影响。与不确定性相关的快速变化引起的困扰，而不是报告的感染率。这些发现使我们深入了解了在不确定时期面临患者的肿瘤学 HCW 的经历，可能为未来的政策提供信息。
