https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2022.01.020

The impact of COVID-19 on cancer patients, their carers and oncology health professionals: A qualitative study

Objectives To clarify the definition of vignette-based methodology in qualitative research and to identify key elements underpinning its development and utilisation in qualitative empirical studies involving healthcare professionals. Design Scoping review according to the Joanna Briggs Institute framework and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. Data sources Electronic databases: Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and SocINDEX (January 2000–December 2020). Eligibility criteria Empirical studies in English or French with a qualitative design including an explicit methodological description of the development and/or use of vignettes to collect qualitative data from healthcare professionals. Titles and abstracts were screened, and full text was reviewed by pairs of researchers according to inclusion/exclusion criteria. Data extraction and synthesis Data extraction included study characteristics, definition, development and utilisation of a vignette, as well as strengths, limitations and recommendations from authors of the included articles. Systematic qualitative thematic analysis was performed, followed by data matrices to display the findings according to the scoping review questions. Results Ten articles were included. An explicit definition of vignettes was provided in only half the studies. Variations of the development process (steps, expert consultation and pretesting), data collection and analysis demonstrate opportunities for improvement in rigour and transparency of the whole research process. Most studies failed to address quality criteria of the wider qualitative design and to discuss study limitations. Conclusions Vignette-based studies in qualitative research appear promising to deepen our understanding of sensitive and challenging situations lived by healthcare professionals. However, vignettes require conceptual clarification and robust methodological guidance so that researchers can systematically plan their study. Focusing on quality criteria of qualitative design can produce stronger evidence around measures that may help healthcare professionals reflect on and learn to cope with adversity.

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Development and use of research vignettes to collect qualitative data from healthcare professionals: a scoping review

The paper begins by reviewing the literature on oncology healthcare professionals’ (HCP) mental health. We summarize and present the current data on HCP mental health in order to understand the baseline state of oncology HCPs’ mental health status prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. At each juncture, we will discuss the implications of these mental health variables on the personal lives of HCPs, the healthcare system, and patient care. We follow by reviewing the literature on these parameters during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on the overall mental health of HCPs working in oncology. By reviewing and summarizing the data before and after the start of the pandemic, we will get a fuller picture of the pre-existing stressors facing oncology HCPs and the added burden caused by pandemic-related stresses. The second part of this review paper will discuss the implications for the oncology workforce and offer recommendations based on the research literature in order to improve the lives of HCPs, and in the process, improve patient care.

/pdf/oncology-healthcare-professionals-mental-health-during-the-1g614her.pdf

Oncology Healthcare Professionals’ Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic

A pilot observational study of a psychotherapy incorporating equines resiliency intervention for staff at a large medical center.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the rapid expansion of telehealth service delivery. We explored the experiences of a multidisciplinary palliative care team delivering telepalliative care for oncology inpatients during a 10-weeks COVID-19 surge in New York City. Methods/Participants We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with a targeted sample, employing a phenomenological approach with applied thematic text analysis. An interdisciplinary coding team iteratively coded data using a mix of a priori and inductive codes. Team members first independently reviewed each category, then met to reach consensus on recurring themes. The sample (n = 11) included a chaplain (n = 1), social worker (n = 1), pharmacist (n = 1), physicians (n = 3), physician assistant (n = 1), and nurse practitioners (n = 4). Results Participants described multidimensional clinician distress as a primary experience in delivering telepalliative care during the COVD-19 surge, characterized by competing loyalties (e.g., institutional obligations, ethical obligations to patients, resentment and distrust of leadership) and feelings of disempowerment (e.g., guilt in providing subpar support, decisional regret, loss of identity as a provider). Participants provided explicit recommendations to improve telepalliative care delivery for acute oncology inpatients in the future. Conclusion Palliative care clinicians experienced personal and professional distress providing inpatient telepalliative care during this COVID-19 surge. Clinician strain providing telehealth services must be explored further as the pandemic and utilization of telehealth evolves. Telepalliative care planning must include attention to clinician wellbeing to sustain the workforce and promote team cohesion, and a focus on infrastructure needed to deliver high-quality, holistic care for oncology patients and their families when in-person consultation is impossible.

“It Took Away and Stripped a Part of Myself”: Clinician Distress and Recommendations for Future Telepalliative Care Delivery in the Cancer Context

https://ascopubs.org/doi/pdfdirect/10.1200/OP.21.00147

Occupational and Personal Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic on US Oncologist Burnout and Well-Being: A Study From the ASCO Clinician Well-Being Task Force.

Tait D. Shanafelt

Papers

Occupational and Personal Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic on US Oncologist Burnout and Well-Being: A Study From the ASCO Clinician Well-Being Task Force.