The impact of COVID-19 on oncology professionals-one year on: lessons learned from the ESMO Resilience Task Force survey series.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the well-being and job performance of oncology professionals globally. The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Resilience Task Force collaboration set out to investigate and monitor well-being since COVID-19 in relation to work, lifestyle and support factors in oncology professionals 1 year on since the start of the pandemic. METHODS: An online, anonymous survey was conducted in February/March 2021 (Survey III). Key outcome variables included risk of poor well-being or distress (expanded Well-Being Index), feeling burnout (single item from expanded Well-Being Index), and job performance since COVID-19. Longitudinal analysis of responses to the series of three surveys since COVID-19 was carried out, and responses to job demands and resources questions were interrogated. SPSS V.26.0/V.27.0 and GraphPad Prism V9.0 were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: Responses from 1269 participants from 104 countries were analysed in Survey III: 55% (n = 699/1269) female, 54% (n = 686/1269) >40 years, and 69% (n = 852/1230) of white ethnicity. There continues to be an increased risk of poor well-being or distress (n = 464/1169, 40%) and feeling burnout (n = 660/1169, 57%) compared with Survey I (25% and 38% respectively, P < 0.0001), despite improved job performance. Compared with the initial period of the pandemic, more participants report feeling overwhelmed with workload (45% versus 29%, P < 0.0001). There remain concerns about the negative impact of the pandemic on career development/training (43%), job security (37%). and international fellowship opportunities (76%). Alarmingly, 25% (n = 266/1086) are considering changing their future career with 38% (n = 100/266) contemplating leaving the profession. CONCLUSION: Oncology professionals continue to face increased job demands. There is now significant concern regarding potential attrition in the oncology workforce. National and international stakeholders must act immediately and work closely with oncology professionals to draw up future-proof recovery plans.

The concerns of oncology professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from the ESMO Resilience Task Force survey II.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant changes to professional and personal lives of oncology professionals globally. The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Resilience Task Force collaboration aimed to provide contemporaneous reports on the impact of COVID-19 on the lived experiences and well-being in oncology. METHODS: This online anonymous survey (July-August 2020) is the second of a series of global surveys launched during the course of the pandemic. Longitudinal key outcome measures including well-being/distress (expanded Well-being Index-9 items), burnout (1 item from expanded Well-being Index), and job performance since COVID-19 were tracked. RESULTS: A total of 942 participants from 99 countries were included for final analysis: 58% (n = 544) from Europe, 52% (n = 485) female, 43% (n = 409) ≤40 years old, and 36% (n = 343) of non-white ethnicity. In July/August 2020, 60% (n = 525) continued to report a change in professional duties compared with the pre-COVID-19 era. The proportion of participants at risk of poor well-being (33%, n = 310) and who reported feeling burnout (49%, n = 460) had increased significantly compared with April/May 2020 (25% and 38%, respectively; P < 0.001), despite improved job performance since COVID-19 (34% versus 51%; P < 0.001). Of those who had been tested for COVID-19, 8% (n = 39/484) tested positive; 18% (n = 7/39) felt they had not been given adequate time to recover before return to work. Since the pandemic, 39% (n = 353/908) had expressed concerns that COVID-19 would have a negative impact on their career development or training and 40% (n = 366/917) felt that their job security had been compromised. More than two-thirds (n = 608/879) revealed that COVID-19 has changed their outlook on their work-personal life balance. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the well-being of oncology professionals globally, with significantly more in distress and feeling burnout compared with the first wave. Collective efforts from both national and international communities addressing support and coping strategies will be crucial as we recover from the COVID-19 crisis. In particular, an action plan should also be devised to tackle concerns raised regarding the negative impact of COVID-19 on career development, training, and job security.

The future of the oncology workforce since COVID-19: Results of the ESMO Resilience Task Force survey series

Background: The ESMO Resilience Task Force has investigated wellbeing since COVID-19 in relation to work, lifestyle and support factors in oncology professionals globally. We reported on the significant impact of the initial surge of the pandemic on wellbeing and job performance (Banerjee et al. 2021). As the pandemic continues, it is imperative to understand experiences and concerns to better inform support measures for the oncology workforce. Methods: Three anonymous online surveys were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic (S1, Apr/May 2020;S2, Jul/Aug 2020;S3, Feb/Mar 2021). Longitudinal analysis of responses at these timepoints were conducted. Here, we present responses to questions on job demands and resources, and perceived job performance since COVID-19 (JP-CV). Results: We analysed 3894 individual responses (S1, n=1520;S2, n=942;S3, n=1432): 53% (n=1961/3731) female, 45% (n=1679/3731) =/<40 years, 31% (n=1132/3692) non-white ethnicity, >100 countries. There has been significant increases from S1 to S3 (p<0.001) in feeling overwhelmed with workload (29% vs 45%);COVID-19-related clinical (14% vs 58%) and research (16% vs 64%) work;out-of-hours work (16% vs 41%), shift work (12% vs 26%) and overall working hours (17% vs 47%);and inadequate time for personal/family life (35% vs 45%). 59% (n=1156/1946) were unable to take allocated annual leave. While JP-CV has improved (34% vs 49%, p<0.001), there remained concerns about the negative impact of the pandemic on career development/training (43%), job security (37%) and international fellowship opportunities (76%). Overall, less than half had felt supported by their work management, professional societies or government, and/or had access to wellbeing support services. 25% (n=266/1086) were considering changing their future career with 38% (n=100/266) contemplating leaving the profession. Conclusions: Since COVID-19, oncology professionals have reported increased job demands, concerns over career development/training and job security, and inadequate time for personal life. There is a real threat of potential attrition in the current workforce. National and international stakeholders must act together to ensure robust recovery plans as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis. Legal entity responsible for the study: The authors. Funding: ESMO. Disclosure: K.H.J. Lim: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Speaker honorarium: Janssen;Non-Financial Interests, Officer, Trainees committee representative for the North West deanery: Royal College of Physicians (UK);Non-Financial Interests, Officer, Trainees representative at the RCP Patient Safety Committee: Royal College of Physicians (UK);Non-Financial Interests, Officer, ACP representative at the RCP Student and Foundation Doctor Network (SFDN): Royal College of Physicians (UK);Non-Financial Interests, Officer, Trainees committee member: Association of Cancer Physicians (ACP) UK;Non-Financial Interests, Officer, Young Oncologists Committee (YOC): ESMO;Non-Financial Interests, Officer, Resilience Task Force (RTF): ESMO;Other, Currently funded by Wellcome-Imperial 4i Clinical Research Fellowship: Wellcome Trust. K. Punie: Other, Institutional, Other, institution received speaker fees or honoraria for consultancy/advisory roles: AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Gilead Sciences, Medscape, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Pierre Fabre, Hoffmann La Roche, Mundi Pharma, PharmaMar, Teva, Vifor Pharma;Other, Institutional, Research Grant: Sanofi;Other, Personal, Other, Travel support: AstraZeneca, Novartis, Pfizer, PharmaMar and Roche. C. Oing: Other, Personal, Other, research funding and honoraria: Roche;Other, Personal, Other, travel grant and honoraria: Medac Pharma and Ipsen Pharma;Other, Personal, Other, travel grant: PharmaMar. E. Elez: Other, Personal, Other, personal fees: Hoffman La - Roche, Bristol Myers Squibb, Servier, Amgen, Merck Serono, ArrayBiopharma, Sanof. T.M.S. Amaral: Other, Personal, Other, personal fees: Pierre Fabre and CeCaVa;Other, Personal, Other, personal fees and travel grants: BMS;Other, Perso al, Other, grants, personal fees and travel grants: Novartis;Other, Personal, Other, grants: Neracare, Sanofi and SkylineDx. P. Garrido Lopez: Other, Personal, Other, personal fees: Roche, MSD, BMS, Boerhinger-Ingelheim, Pfizer, AbbVie, Novartis, Lilly, AstraZeneca, Janssen, Blueprint Medicines, Takeda, Gilead, and ROVI. M. Lambertini: Other, Personal, Other, Consultant: Roche, AstraZeneca, Lilly and Novartis;Other, Personal, Other, Honoraria: Theramex, Roche, Novartis, Takeda, Pfizer, Sandoz, and Lilly. C.B. Westphalen: Other, Personal, Other, honoraria, travel support and advisory board: Bayer, BMS, Celgene, Roche, Servier, Shire/Baxalta, RedHil, and Taiho;Other, Personal, Other, speaker honoraria: Ipsen;Other, Personal, Advisory Board: GSK, Sirtex, and Rafael. J.B.A.G. Haanen: Other, Personal, Advisory Role, personal fees for advisory role: Neogene Tx;Other, Institutional, Other, grants and fees paid to institution: BMS, MSD, Novartis, BioNTech, Amgen;Other, Institutional, Other, fees paid to institution: Achilles Tx, GSK, Immunocore, Ipsen, Merck Serono, Molecular Partners, Pfizer, Roche/Genentech, Sanofi, Seattle Genetics, Third Rock Ventures, Vaximm. C. Hardy: Other, Personal, Other, Director of a private company Hardy People Ltd.: Hardy People Ltd. S. Banerjee: Other, Institutional, Research Grant: AstraZeneca, Tesaro and GSK;Other, Personal, Other, Honoraria: Amgen, AstraZeneca, MSD, GSK, Clovis, Genmab, Merck Serono, Mersana, Pfizer, Seattle Genetics, and Tesaro. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Impact of COVID-19 on social media as perceived by the oncology community: results from a survey in collaboration with the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the OncoAlert Network.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all aspects of modern-day oncology, including how stakeholders communicate through social media. We surveyed oncology stakeholders in order to assess their attitudes pertaining to social media and how it has been affected during the pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 40-item survey was distributed to stakeholders from 8 July to 22 July 2020 and was promoted through the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the OncoAlert Network. RESULTS: One thousand and seventy-six physicians and stakeholders took part in the survey. In total, 57.3% of respondents were medical oncologists, 50.6% aged <40 years, 50.8% of female gender and mostly practicing in Europe (51.5%). More than 90% of respondents considered social media a useful tool for distributing scientific information and for education. Most used social media to stay up to date on cancer care in general (62.5%) and cancer care during COVID-19 (61%) given the constant flow of information. Respondents also used social media to interact with other oncologists (78.8%) and with patients (34.4%). Overall, 61.1% of respondents were satisfied with the role that social media was playing during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, 41.1% of respondents reported trouble in discriminating between credible and less credible information and 30% stated social networks were a source of stress. For this reason, one-third of respondents reduced its use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding meeting attendance, a total of 59.1% of responding physicians preferred in-person meetings to virtual ones, and 51.8% agreed that virtual meetings and social distancing could hamper effective collaboration. CONCLUSION: Social media has a useful role in supporting cancer care and professional engagement in oncology. Although one-third of respondents reported reduced use of social media due to stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority found social media useful to keep up to date and were satisfied with the role social media was playing during the pandemic.

The impact of COVID-19 on oncology professionals: results of the ESMO Resilience Task Force survey collaboration.

BACKGROUND: The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on well-being has the potential for serious negative consequences on work, home life, and patient care. The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Resilience Task Force collaboration set out to investigate well-being in oncology over time since COVID-19. METHODS: Two online anonymous surveys were conducted (survey I: April/May 2020; survey II: July/August 2020). Statistical analyses were performed to examine group differences, associations, and predictors of key outcomes: (i) well-being/distress [expanded Well-being Index (eWBI; 9 items)]; (ii) burnout (1 item from eWBI); (iii) job performance since COVID-19 (JP-CV; 2 items). RESULTS: Responses from survey I (1520 participants from 101 countries) indicate that COVID-19 is impacting oncology professionals; in particular, 25% of participants indicated being at risk of distress (poor well-being, eWBI ≥ 4), 38% reported feeling burnout, and 66% reported not being able to perform their job compared with the pre-COVID-19 period. Higher JP-CV was associated with better well-being and not feeling burnout (P < 0.01). Differences were seen in well-being and JP-CV between countries (P < 0.001) and were related to country COVID-19 crude mortality rate (P < 0.05). Consistent predictors of well-being, burnout, and JP-CV were psychological resilience and changes to work hours. In survey II, among 272 participants who completed both surveys, while JP-CV improved (38% versus 54%, P < 0.001), eWBI scores ≥4 and burnout rates were significantly higher compared with survey I (22% versus 31%, P = 0.01; and 35% versus 49%, P = 0.001, respectively), suggesting well-being and burnout have worsened over a 3-month period during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: In the first and largest global survey series, COVID-19 is impacting well-being and job performance of oncology professionals. JP-CV has improved but risk of distress and burnout has increased over time. Urgent measures to address well-being and improve resilience are essential.

The impact of COVID-19 on oncology professionals: Initial results of the ESMO resilience task force survey collaboration

Background: The impact of the COVID-19 (CV-19) pandemic on wellbeing has the potential for serious negative consequences on work, home life and patient care. The ESMO Resilience Task Force collaboration set out to investigate wellbeing in oncology over time since CV-19. Methods: 2 online surveys were conducted (survey I April/May;survey II July/August 2020). Statistical analyses were used to examine group differences, associations and to explore predictors of key outcomes: 1) wellbeing/distress (Wellbeing Index (WBI-9)), 2) burnout (1 item);and 3) CV-19 job performance (2 item CJP;standard of care and job delivery compared to pre-CV 19). Results: Survey I had 1520 participants from 101 countries. Responses indicate that CV-19 is impacting the oncology workforce resulting in a number of changes to work and personal lives. 25% were at risk of distress (poor wellbeing, WBI ≥4);38% reported feeling burnout and 66% were not able to perform their job compared to pre-CV-19. Higher CJP was significantly associated with better wellbeing and not feeling burnout (p<0.01). Differences were seen in wellbeing and CJP between countries (p<0.001) and related to CV-19 country mortality rate (p<0.05). The main predictors of wellbeing, burnout and CJP were resilience and changes to work hours. Others frequently identified were coping strategies, ethnicity, concern about training/career, worried about current wellbeing, and working conditions. In Survey II, results from 942 participants are undergoing analysis. Overall, comparisons between surveys show overall wellbeing and burnout rates have worsened overtime but CJP has improved. Among 272 participants who completed both surveys, WBI scores ≥4 (indicating higher risk of distress) and burnout rates were higher in survey II compared to survey I (22% vs 31% p=0.01;35% vs 49% p=0.001 respectively) suggesting wellbeing and burnout may be worsening overtime. CJP improved (38% vs 54% p<0.001). Conclusions: In the largest global survey series, COVID-19 is impacting on the wellbeing and job performance of oncology professionals. Risk of distress and burnout has increased over time. Urgent measures to address wellbeing and improve resilience are essential. Legal entity responsible for the study: ESMO. Funding: ESMO. Disclosure: S. Banerjee: Research grant/Funding (institution): AstraZeneca;Research grant/Funding (self): GSK;Honoraria (self): Amgen;Honoraria (self): AstraZeneca;Honoraria (self): MSD;Honoraria (self): GSK;Honoraria (self): Clovis;Honoraria (self): Genmab;Honoraria (self): Merck Serono;Honoraria (self): Mersana;Honoraria (self): Pfizer;Honoraria (self): Seattle Genetics;Honoraria (self): Tesaro. C. Oing: Research grant/Funding (institution): PharmaMar;Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Ipsen;Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: PharmaMar;Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Medac. K. Punie: Honoraria (self): AstraZeneca;Honoraria (self): Eli Lilly;Honoraria (self): Novartis;Honoraria (self): Pfizer;Honoraria (self): Pierre Fabre;Honoraria (self): Hoffmann La Roche;Honoraria (self): Vifor Pharma;Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Eli Lilly;Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Mundi Pharma;Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Novartis;Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Pfizer;Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Hoffmann La Roche;Honoraria (self): Teva;Research grant/Funding (institution): Sanofi;Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: AstraZeneca;Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Novartis;Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Pfizer;Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: PharmaMar;Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Hoffmann La Roche. M. Lambertini: Advisory/Consultancy: Roche;Advisory/Consultancy: Novartis;Honoraria (institution): Theramex;Honoraria (institution): Takeda;Honoraria (institution): Roche;Honoraria (institution): Lilly;Honoraria (institution): Pfizer;Honoraria (institution): Novartis. C. Benedikt Westphalen: Honoraria (institution), Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Bayer;Honoraria (self), Honoraria (institution), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Celge e;Honoraria (self), Honoraria (institution), Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Ipsen;Honoraria (self), Honoraria (institution), Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: MedScape;Honoraria (self), Honoraria (institution), Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Rafael Pharmaceuticals;Honoraria (self), Honoraria (institution), Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: RedHIll;Honoraria (self), Honoraria (institution), Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Roche;Honoraria (self), Honoraria (institution), Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Servier;Honoraria (self), Honoraria (institution), Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Shire;Honoraria (self), Honoraria (institution), Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Taiho;Research grant/Funding (institution): Roche. P. Garrido Lopez: Advisory/Consultancy: AbbVie;Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: AstraZeneca;Advisory/Consultancy: BluePrint Medicine;Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Boerhinger Ingelheim;Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: BMS;Advisory/Consultancy: Gilead;Advisory/Consultancy: Guardant Health;Advisory/Consultancy: Janssen;Advisory/Consultancy: Lilly;Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: MSD;Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Novartis;Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Pfizer;Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Roche;Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Takeda;Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Rovi;Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Sysmex. T.M.S. Amaral: Honoraria (self), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: BMS;Honoraria (self), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Novartis;Honoraria (self): PIerre Fabre;Honoraria (institution): Neracare;Honoraria (institution): Sanofi. J.B.A.G. Haanen: Advisory/Consultancy: AIMM THerapeutics;Advisory/Consultancy: Amgen;Advisory/Consultancy: AZ;Advisory/Consultancy: Bayer;Advisory/Consultancy: BioNtech;Advisory/Consultancy: BMS;Advisory/Consultancy: GSK;Advisory/Consultancy: Gateta;Advisory/Consultancy: Immunocore;Advisory/Consultancy: Ipsen;Advisory/Consultancy: Merck Serono;Advisory/Consultancy: MSD;Advisory/Consultancy: Molecular Partners;Advisory/Consultancy: Roche;Advisory/Consultancy: Sanofi;Advisory/Consultancy: Seattle Genetics;Advisory/Consultancy: Third Rock Venture;Advisory/Consultancy: Vaximm;Research grant/Funding (institution): Neogene;Research grant/Funding (institution): Amgen;Research grant/Funding (institution): BMS;Research grant/Funding (institution): BIoNthech;Research grant/Funding (institution): MSD;Research grant/Funding (institution): Novartis;Advisory/Consultancy: Genentech. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.