Understanding the Role and Deployment of Volunteers Within Hospice and Specialist Palliative Care Services as They Have Adjusted to the COVID-19 Pandemic. A Multi-National EAPC Survey

Background/aims: Data from early in the COVID-19 pandemic indicated a major decline in palliative care volunteer numbers and their support to service provision. This may impact on the quality and safety of palliative care service provision. The aim is to identify and understand the roles and deployment of volunteers in hospice and specialist palliative care services in the ongoing response to COVID-19. Methods: Multi-national cross-sectional survey of hospices and providers of specialist palliative care services, using a convenience sample. A 68-item online questionnaire, aimed at people responsible for volunteer deployment, was disseminated via social media, palliative care networks and key collaborators from May to July 2021. Questions captured volunteer deployment pre-COVID-19, through the pandemic and future plans. Descriptive analysis and chi-square tests were conducted to compare results. Free text comments were analysed using content analysis techniques. Results: Valid responses were received from 304 organisations (35 countries, 80.3% Europe). Most cared for adults only (60.9%), provided inpatient care (62.2%) and were non-profit (62.5%). 47.0% had cared for people with COVID-19. Volunteers tended to be younger than pre-pandemic. 47.7% changed the way they deployed volunteers;the mean number of active volunteers dropped from 203 per organisation to 33, and 70.7% reported a decrease in volunteers in direct patient/family facing roles. 50.6% said this drop impacted their organisation and care provision, increasing staff workload and pressure, decreasing patient support, and increasing patient isolation and loneliness. Conclusions: The sustained reduction in volunteer deployment due to COVID-19 has impacted the provision of safe, effective palliative care. Urgent consideration must be given to the future of volunteering including virtual modes of delivery, micro-volunteering, and appealing to a younger demographic.

Understanding Future Planning for Volunteering After the COVID-19 Pandemic. A Multi-National EAPC Survey

Background/aims: Previous research on hospice and palliative care volunteering early in the COVID-19 pandemic suggested a significant decline in volunteering activity, impacting on the range, safety and effectiveness of services offered. Aim: To explore future organisational plans for volunteer roles and deployment in hospice and specialist palliative care services in light of the ongoing response to COVID-19. Methods: Multi-national cross-sectional survey of hospices and providers of specialist palliative care services, using a convenience sample. A 68-item online questionnaire, aimed at people responsible for volunteer deployment, was disseminated via social media, palliative care networks and key collaborators from May to July 2021. Free text questions focussed on future plans for volunteering. Free text responses were analysed using content analysis techniques. Results: 64% (n=195) of organisations maintained contact with nonactive volunteers. Many services intended to return to pre-pandemic volunteering activities. 14% (n=43) of organisations reported planning a phased re-introduction of volunteers, additional training, use of risk assessments and safe working protocols related to infection control. Others intended to be more flexible, continuing face to face roles whilst increasing virtual volunteering activities. Some planned to use volunteers more effectively, ensuring that roles matched organisational needs. Increased community volunteering was also highlighted. Others were confident that volunteers would return and undertook no planning. Conclusions: The approach to planning for the future of volunteering is not consistent. It was assumed that volunteers will return to roles as before. Urgent consideration must be given to engaging with volunteers to ascertain how many will return, identifying gaps, developing safe protocols for return, assessing future support and training requirements for changed environments and new ways of working.

Emotional Impact of COVID-19 on Palliative Care Healthcare Professionals

Background/aims: Palliative care professionals (PCP) work in an environment of great emotional impact where patients and caregivers present high levels of emotional distress and suffering. Working in these units frequently involves high levels of emotional distress. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified this emotional distress. The aim of this work was to analyze the levels of emotional distress of palliative care health professionals during the second wave of the pandemic in Spain. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study of palliative care health professionals who responded to an online survey during the second COVID-19 pandemic in Spain (July 2020). 95 palliative care professionals (58 women and 37 men) with a mean age of 45.72 ± 11.71 years responded to an online survey voluntarily, after giving informed consent. In addition to sociodemographic variables, anxiety, depression, emotional distress, post-traumatic stress, and questions related to the COVID-19 situation and the institution were analyzed. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Results: 53.7% of the health professionals reported anxiety, 46.7% depression, 54.5% emotional distress, and 28% post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A 26.5% of the professionals think that they require psychological help. 32.8% believe that they feel recognized by their institution, and 28.7% feel cared for by their institution. We observe that the professionals who feel recognized by their institutions experience less emotional distress (p<0.01) and believe they need less psychological support (p<0.05) than those who do not perceive it. Conclusions: A high emotional impact generated by the COVID-19 pandemic is observed in PC professionals. It would be necessary to provide psychological resources related to emotional regulation and coping strategies to deal with this situation of high emotional impact generated by the pandemic and promote their well-being and facilitate coping of future pandemics.

Psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic: Effects of optimism and uncertainty on distress during the lockdown in Spain

The objective of this study is to make a quick assessment of the psychological resources and emotional distress of the general population locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic (in Catalonia, Spain), and to observe their evolution over the course of two waves during lockdown: at two weeks and at one month (April 1th to 3th and April 17th to 19th). The longitudinal study collected data from 29,231 participants aged 18 or older through an online platform who answered questions which evaluated: optimism, uncertainty, perceived competence, self-efficacy, emotional distress, current job situation, sadness and anger in conjunction with sociodemographic variables. The main results indicated that general beliefs about the future, uncertainty, and optimism, together with beliefs about one's own conduct, such as perceived competence when facing the situation or self-efficacy to maintain routines, could predict the emotional distress experienced by an individual. A clear gender pattern was found. Between the two waves, optimism, perceived competence to manage the situation and self-efficacy to maintain routines decrease, uncertainty grows, and emotional distress remains. Taking these results into account we can prevent possible emotional scars and offer coping strategies to overcome the pandemic and the future situations of confinement in a more efficient way.