ABSTRACT
In the spring of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, classes in our MHSA program changed to a fully online format. This article describes one teaching innovation that was developed for an Organizational Behavior in Healthcare course in order to continue to welcome guest speakers to the virtual classroom. "10 Minute Chat Guests" were invited to join the virtual classroom and answer a short set of questions related to course topics. The planning and implementa - tion of this innovation are outlined, and its benefits are described from both educator and learner perspectives, including connecting course concepts to real life, professionalization, and demonstration that healthcare is human.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Healthcare systems are being bombarded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding burnout, compassion fatigue, and potential protective factors, such as compassion satisfaction, will be important in supporting the vital healthcare workforce. The goal of the current study was to understand the key factors of burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction among healthcare employees during the pandemic within the U.S. in April 2020. METHODS: The authors conducted a single-center, cross-sectional online survey using the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) Questionnaire and three open-ended questions around stress and responses to stress during COVID-19 at a large Midwestern academic medical center with nearly 16,000 employees. RESULTS: Healthcare employees (613) representing over 25 professions or roles and 30 different departments within the health system were surveyed. Participants reported low levels of compassion fatigue and burnout, but moderate levels of compassion satisfaction. Compassion satisfaction was notably higher than prior literature. Key areas of stress outside of work included family, finances and housing, childcare and homeschooling, and personal health. CONCLUSIONS: This was a cross-sectional survey, limiting causal analyses. Also, based on the qualitative responses, the ProQOL was somewhat insufficient in assessing the breadth of stressors, particularly outside of work, that healthcare employees faced due to the pandemic. Although compassion satisfaction was elevated during the initial phases of the pandemic, providing some possible protection against burnout, this may change as COVID-19 continues to surge. Healthcare systems are encouraged to assess and address the broad range of work and non-work-related stressors to best serve their vital workforce.
ABSTRACT
In the Spring of 2020, faculty in our Master of Health Services Administration (MHSA) program were required to pivot to fully online teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Faculty in our program are a mix of full-time academic and practitioner faculty, and our program is part of Kansas's only academic medical center. Using a qualitative descriptive design, this paper reports on findings from in-depth semi-structured interviews with all faculty (n=12) teaching during the Spring 2020 semester to understand their experiences as educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts yielded three key areas of COVID-19 impact: (1) course logistics and communication, (2) faculty capacity and identity, and (3) the future of both healthcare and health administration education. Faculty reported increasing communication with students and encountering some logistical difficulties, but overall, they adapted to the online modality. Faculty also reported the necessity to learn from the COVID-19 crisis to address healthcare gaps, elucidate key course concepts, and better train healthcare administrators to be competent in handling rapid change and disruptive events.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic poses unique challenges for oncology patients and clinicians. While guidelines for oncology care delivery during the pandemic have been established, there is a paucity of data examining patient experiences of cancer care during the COVID pandemic. This qualitative study captured the perspectives of women undergoing active treatment for gynecologic malignancy at an academic medical center. Hour-long semi-structured interviews were conducted via video-conference and transcribed verbatim. Focused coding was conducted to identify all data related to COVID-19. These data were then categorized into themes that emerged inductively. Seven women (N = 7) were interviewed. Several themes arose under two main categories: 1) Impact of COVID-19 on cancer care delivery and interactions and 2) Intersection of cancer and COVID-19 outside of the healthcare setting. Under category 1, themes included: going to treatment alone; variable access to care and information. Under category 2, themes included: unavailability of cancer-specific social support; mask wearing; COVID-19 & life outlook; adapting coping strategies. Participants' perceptions of having cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic varied and were not always negative. Healthcare systems can draw on our findings to inform interventions to ensure optimal patient care. Additionally, given our finding that noncompliance with mask wearing and physical distancing can be uniquely distressing to cancer patients, healthcare systems should prioritize clear messaging around COVID-19 precautions and ensure compliance of staff and patrons. Due to the rapidly changing nature of the pandemic, outcomes for these patients should be monitored and care guidelines should incorporate first-hand patient narratives.