March 30, 2022
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disclosures:
The study authors and the editorial authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the pediatric oncology workforce, leading to physical, psychological and financial strain, according to the results of a survey published in Cancer.
“This research is unique in that it captures the global impact of the pandemic in the context of a discipline, ie pediatric hematology/oncology,” Lorena V. Baroni, MD, from the hematology/oncology department of the Garrahan Pediatrics Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Eric Bouffet, physician, of the hematology/oncology division at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, wrote in a related editorial. “Conducting a similar study would be challenging among health care providers in the adult cancer population. The findings suggest that pediatric oncology is often given a low priority in the face of an acute healthcare crisis.”
Data derived from Sniderman EP, et al. Cancer. 2021;doi:10.1002/cncr.34090.
Methodology
In the survey research Elizabeth Sniderman, MSN, APRN† and colleagues assessed responses to a 60-item survey of 311 clinicians caring for children with cancer. The clinicians represented 213 institutions from 79 countries. The study looked at the impact of the pandemic on clinical care, resources and suppliers.
The researchers also selected a diverse subgroup of 16 institutions for 19 multidisciplinary focus groups that discussed teamwork, communication and changes in care delivery.
Results
Fifty-one percent of the institutions reported that the reduced availability of clinical staff had a major impact. Reported personnel changes include reduced availability of service providers (66% of institutions), changes in roles/responsibilities and out-of-specialty transfers.
The study also identified the physical impacts of the pandemic, including frequent COVID-19 illness. Eight percent of respondents reported deaths among caregivers in their facilities and 50% of caregivers did not have the necessary personal protective equipment.
Health care providers also reported experiencing psychological and financial difficulties during the pandemic. The pandemic appeared to affect nurses disproportionately than other caregivers. The reported effects spanned all hospital resources, with staff turnover more frequent in countries with higher incidence of COVID-19 (P < .001) and death rate (P = .004).
Focus group participants reported that the negative impacts of the pandemic were mitigated through increased teamwork, communication, contributions to tasks outside of caregivers’ normal responsibilities, policies designed to optimize safety, and a sense of accomplishment for contributing to The effort.
Implications
“This study took place at a relatively early stage of the pandemic, and a follow-up study would certainly provide a different insight,” Baroni and Bouffet wrote. “However, the results presented in this study should not be taken lightly. They reflect a serious risk that could ultimately affect the care of children and jeopardize the success of their treatment. In this context, the interest of organizations can be for childhood cancer in their advocacy.”
References†
Baroni LV, et al. Cancer. 2021; doi: 10.1002/cncr.34089†
Sniderman EP, et al. Cancer. 2021; doi: 10.1002/cncr.34090.
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