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Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric oncology providers globally: A mixed-methods study

Sniderman, Elizabeth R; Graetz, Dylan E; Agulnik, Asya; Ranadive, Radhikesh; Vedaraju, Yuvanesh; Chen, Yichen; Devidas, Meenakshi; ... Moreira, Daniel C; + view all (2022) Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric oncology providers globally: A mixed-methods study. Cancer , 128 (7) pp. 1493-1502. 10.1002/cncr.34090. Green open access

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Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disrupted pediatric oncology care globally, increasing demands on health care providers (HCPs) who adapted to continue care. This study sought to characterize the pandemic's impact on pediatric oncology HCPs worldwide. / Methods: A 60-item survey focused on changes to clinical care, resources, and effects on clinicians. A diverse subgroup of institutions was purposefully selected for focus groups that explored teamwork, communication, and changes to care delivery. / Results: The survey included 311 responses from 213 institutions representing 79 countries. Sixteen institutions participated in 19 multidisciplinary focus groups in 8 languages. Decreased clinical staff availability was cited by 51% of institutions as a major impact. Staffing modifications included decreased provider availability (66% of institutions), roles or responsibility changes, and transfer outside the specialty. Physical effects included frequent COVID-19 illness; 8% of respondents reported HCP deaths. Fifty percent of providers did not have the necessary personal protective equipment. HCPs also experienced psychological distress and financial concerns. Findings indicated more frequent impact on nurses than other providers. Impacts were described across all hospital resource levels, with staffing modifications more frequent in countries with higher COVID-19 incidence (P <.001) and mortality rate (P =.004). Focus groups revealed negative impacts were stabilized by increased teamwork, communication, contributions outside usual roles, policies aimed at optimizing safety, and feeling that they were contributing. / Conclusions: COVID-19 had a profound impact on the pediatric oncology workforce, creating challenging modifications to staffing and resulting in physical, psychological, and financial distress. Despite these challenges, HCPs caring for children with cancer came together to continue to provide high-quality care.

Type: Article
Title: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric oncology providers globally: A mixed-methods study
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1002/cncr.34090
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.34090
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.
Keywords: coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); delivery of health care; global; health care personnel; pediatric oncology; workforce
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Developmental Biology and Cancer Dept
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10144327
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