Report from the Ready for the Next Round Thought-Leadership Roundtables on Building Resilience in Cancer Care and Control in Canada-Colorectal Cancer Canada; 2021

Abstract

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated vulnerabilities in the Canadian health care system and exposed gaps and challenges across the cancer care continuum. Canada is experiencing significant disruptions to cancer-related services, and the impact these disruptions (delays/deferrals/cancellations) have on the health care system and patients are yet to be determined. Given the potential adverse ramifications, how can Canada’s health care systems build resilience for future threats? (2) Methods: To answer this question, CCC facilitated a series of four thought-leadership roundtables, each representing the views of four different stakeholder groups: patients, physicians, health care system leaders, and researchers. (3) Results: Six themes of strength were identified to serve as a springboard for building resilience including, (1) advancing virtual care and digital health technologies to prevent future interruptions in cancer care delivery. (2) developing real-time data metrics, data sharing, and evidence-based decision-making. (3) enhancing public–private-non-profit partnerships to advance research and strengthen connections across the system. (4) advancing patient-centricity in cancer research to drive and encourage precision medicine approaches to care. (5) investing in training and hiring a robust supply of health care human resources. (6) implementing a national strategy and infrastructure to ensure inter-provincial collaborative data sharing (4). Conclusions: A resilient health care system that can respond to shocks and threats is not an emergency system; it is a robust everyday system that can respond to emergencies.

Resilience at Work among Healthcare Professionals in Oncology during and beyond the Pandemic: Report from A Deliberative Multi-Stakeholder Reflexive Symposium

“…The joint action of professional and experiential expertise may represent a mitigation strategy to responsiveness gaps, which in turn reduces adversity. In a report from leadership roundtables, one solution to move toward a more resilient healthcare system was patient-centricity as an approach "that will give the health care system, the resilience it needs" [3] (p. 1735). The symposium proposed a step forward, highlighting the patient's role in contributing to HCP resilience.…”

“…Adversity arises from daily exposure to the suffering of patients, heavy workload and time pressures, workforce shortages, and administrative burdens [1]. The lengthy and profound disruption produced by the COVID-19 pandemic compounded a longstanding cancer crisis [2], aggravating scarcities of material and human resources and the siloed functioning of cancer care provision [3,4]. Consequently, oncology HCPs experience more stressful situations, are more dissatisfied with their work life, and more susceptible to physical and psychological problems.…”

“…Psychosocial clinicians working in oncology settings (e.g., social workers, psychologists) show a similarly high risk of burnout [10]. Since 2020, there has been an exponential increase in studies on stress at work among oncology HCPs, responding to the exacerbation of work-related stress syndromes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic [1,3,11].…”

Measuring Team Functioning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives of Cancer Care Team Members

“…[38][39][40] As such, these combined stressors significantly reduce workrelated capacities including a decrease in team members' performance, deterioration in communication and teamwork and limited collaborative decision-making. 31,[40][41][42][43][44][45] The pandemic also disrupted patients' cancer care experiences. Individuals with cancer reported feeling isolated, having no or poor communication with their treating team, and limited involvement in clinical decisions.…”

Cancer Care Team Functioning during COVID-19: A Narrative Literature Review and Synthesis

“…Farah et al ( 2021) [31] reported that pre-pandemic attempts to implement virtual technology were challenging. However, during the pandemic, the urgent need for alternate methods of communication quickly became evident.…”