Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Oncologists: Results of an International Study

Abstract

PURPOSE As frontline workers facing the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers should be well-prepared to fight the disease and prevent harm to their patients and themselves. Our study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of oncologists in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on them. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated questionnaire disseminated to oncologists by SurveyMonkey. The tool had 42 questions that captured participants’ knowledge, attitude, and practice; their experiences; and the pandemic’s impact on various aspects of their lives. Participants from Middle East and North African countries, Brazil, and the Philippines completed the electronic survey between April 24 and May 15, 2020. RESULTS Of the 1,010 physicians who participated in the study, 54.75% were male and 64.95% were medical or clinical oncologists. The level of knowledge regarding the prevention and transmission of the virus was good in 52% of participants. The majority (92%) were worried about contracting the virus either extremely (30%) or mildly (62%), and 84.85% were worried about transmitting the virus to their families. Approximately 76.93% reported they would take the COVID 19 vaccine once available, with oncologists practicing in Brazil having the highest odds ratio of intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine (odds ratio, 11.8, 95% CI, 5.96 to 23.38, P < .001). Participants reported a negative impact of the pandemic on relations with coworkers (15.84%), relations with family (27.84%), their emotional and mental well-being (48.51%), research productivity (34.26%), and financial income (52.28%). CONCLUSION The COVID-19 pandemic has adverse effects on various personal and professional aspects of oncologists’ lives. Interventions should be implemented to mitigate the negative impact and prepare oncologists to manage future crises with more efficiency and resilience.

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

“… 42 High levels of collegiality, cooperation, and positive coworker relationships were noted as positive impacts in an international study of oncologists. 29 Our findings support these tenets and suggest implementing frequent communication, structured debriefing, policies to protect staff safety, procedural algorithms, and psychological support can balance out negative impacts on HCPs across resource settings.…”

“… 1 , 25 Ultimately, decreased availability of pediatric oncology providers during the pandemic could lead to a long‐term scarcity in the workforce, particularly in LMICs where multidisciplinary staff and specialty training opportunities are limited. 14 , 28 To mitigate this, health care organizations should consider implementing policies to retain professionals in their trained specialty 29 and build a relief pool of providers. 30 Enacting such policies will both lessen the effect of acute shortages due to illness or quarantine and prevent long‐term deficiencies.…”

The Impact of COVID-19 on the International Education Market in China

“…Xiong et al did research on how students in Mainland China and Hong Kong conceive overseas studies plans against the COVID-19 crisis, using the method of distributing the questionnaires via online survey systems (Qualtrics and Wenjuanxing) to the above two groups of students, which led to a conclusion that the pandemic has not only significantly decreased international student mobility but is also shifting the mobility flow of international students. The research team also found that the global health crisis would intensify social and economic inequalities across higher education systems [1]. Mok et al have studied the affection of pandemic of COVID-19 for mobility and perspective of international students, adopting a method that investment a bunch of different the information of survey and statistic such as Institute of International Education and many other surveys to support detail numbers and data to the report and the essay.…”

Nationwide Study to Assess the Psychosocial, Financial, and Professional Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Radiation Therapy Technologists

“…Various studies in the initial phase of the pandemic had raised severe psychosocial and professional concerns for the entire radiation oncology fraternity. 6 , 14 , 16 - 18 However, the actual impact of the pandemic on RTTs has largely been underestimated. Also, the impact at the time of withdrawal of restrictions and introduction of various vaccination strategies has never been evaluated.…”