The Experience of Oncology Healthcare Providers in the Central Italy during the COVID-19 Lockdown

Abstract

While the emotional response of healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic has been extensively investigated in countries in the Far-East, little is known about the psychological impact and the associated emotional distress of healthcare providers in Italy, especially with regard to different regions. The aim of the “VIRARE” survey, which was addressed to all the healthcare providers in the Lazio region (central Italy) and, in particular, to those working in the oncology field, is to analyze their opinion on the impact and management of the pandemic, to better understand the level of their psychological distress. A global good psychological response of healthcare providers to the pandemic has emerged, independently from their different occupations in the oncology field. Healthcare providers show a high degree of resilience, identifying the major causes of distress the difficulty of the management of this situation, the obstacles in their working activity and expressing a high degree of dissatisfaction with how Italian institutions handled this situation. This survey also provides a direct comparison between COVID-19-infected (or directly in contact with COVID-19-infected patients) and uninfected healthcare providers, identifying the sub-category of infected professionals that reported signs of depression as particularly vulnerable.

Covid-19 e os Impactos na Saúde Mental dos Profissionais de Saúde que atuam na Área da Oncologia: Revisão Sistemática da Literatura

“…Vários estudos transversais investigaram a saúde mental de profissionais de saúde durante a pandemia da covid-19; a maioria dos entrevistados era de profissionais de saúde de diferentes áreas da medicina ou trabalhadores médicos de linha de frente 28,[62][63][64][65] .…”

“…Alguns fatores modificáveis como o apoio percebido de amigos e da população e a percepção de condenação por parte da população são fatores que contribuem para aumentar o esgotamento mental, especialmente porque os profissionais de saúde se sentem extremamente desvalorizados e incapazes 28,[62][63][64][65] .…”

The Impact of COVID-19 Infection in Cancer 2020–2021

“…The authors report a potential protective role of female hormones, whereas conflicting results are reported regarding androgens, although further investigations are needed [ 20 ]. Other studies focused on the care experiences and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in sarcoma patients during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 21 ] and analyzed also the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare providers [ 22 ]. Finally, it is still unknown whether survivors of COVID-19-infected subjects are at higher risk for developing cancer and whether any biologic and clinical features exist in post-COVID-19 individuals that might be related to carcinogenesis.…”

Quality of Life and Psychosocial Impacts of the Different Restrictive Measures during One Year into the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients with Cancer in Italy: An Ecological Study

“…In the last years, however, mortality from cancer has been decreasing in both sexes, and overall recovery rates have improved, thanks especially to the greater adherence to screening programs, which has allowed for early detection of neoplasm and greater effectiveness of therapies [ 15 ]. On the other hand, the decrease in early diagnoses during the pandemic predicts an increase in late diagnoses, and consequently greater difficulty in recovery [ 16 , 17 ].…”