Moral Distress Among Oncology Social Workers.

PURPOSE: Literature on moral distress among oncology social workers (OSWs) is sparse. The aim of the current study was to examine the prevalence of moral distress and its domains of influence, and to identify demographic and work-related characteristics associated with moral distress among OSWs. METHODS: Data came from the Oncology Social Work Competencies, Opportunities, Roles, and Expertise survey, conducted from August to September 2020 (during the COVID-19 global pandemic). Data collected included demographic information (eg, age, sex, and race) and work-related characteristics (eg, job position, organization type, work setting, employment status, salary, years in the profession, and OSW-C certification). Moral distress was measured using the Measure of Moral Distress for Healthcare Professionals. Tests of association, including multivariate linear regression, were conducted to achieve the research aims. RESULTS: Total moral distress scores on the Measure of Moral Distress for Healthcare Professionals (range 0-432) for 745 OSWs ranged from 1 to 273, with an average score of 74.0. The three highest indicators of moral distress were observed in the patient or family experience domain. Higher levels of moral distress were associated with younger age, being a direct service provider, provision of inpatient cancer care, and more years in the profession. CONCLUSION: OSWs are experiencing moral distress. Institutional investments in professional education and support of OSWs are needed to mitigate and possibly prevent moral distress experienced by cancer care providers and thus ensure the delivery of quality psychosocial care for patients with cancer and their families.

RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF PATIENT-PARTNER DYADS FROM A CANCER REGISTRY FOR AN E-HEALTH INTERVENTION DELIVERED IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Healthcare Delivery Randomized clinical trials (RCT) that test the effects of dyadic interventions often face challenges in recruitment and retention. Because most cancer-focused RCTs recruit convenience samples from local cancer centers and hospitals, little is known about recruitment and retention using a population-based cancer cohort. This study describes the recruitment and retention of patient-partner dyads using a cancer registry to obtain participants for an RCT testing the efficacy of a dyadic, tailored eHealth intervention to improve quality of life in patients with prostate cancer and their partners. This study was a two-arm, parallel groups RCT. Men who recently completed treatment for localize prostate cancer were recruited from the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry Rapid Case Ascertainment (NCCCR RCA) from April 2018 to February 2021. Notably, recruitment coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. After receiving a list of patients from the NCCCR RCA, we mailed patients' physicians an introductory letter that included the ability to opt out if they preferred that their patient(s) not participate. Next, introductory letters were mailed to patients, who were further screened for eligibility, invited to participate, and asked for permission to contact their partner. Using the same procedure, we obtained informed consent from the partners for their study participation. After baseline assessments, patient-partner dyads were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. Dyads completed follow-up surveys 4-, 8-, and 12-month post-baseline. Data for this report were extracted from the research administrative log and analyzed using descriptive analyses. See the Consort Diagram (Fig.i) for participant flow through the study. Of 3,078 patients referred from RCA, 2,899 were contacted for screening;2,195 partners were approached after obtaining patients' permission;280 patient-partner dyads completed baseline assessments and were randomized (enrollment rate: 12.76%;95% CI (11.39%, 14.22%);and 221 dyads completed the 12-month follow-up (retention rate: 78.93%;95% CI (73.68%, 83.56%). Referral and recruitment were significantly affected by the pandemic. Conclusions: Despite the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we used the NCCCR RCA to achieve a recruitment rate for patient-partner dyads that was equivalent to other epidemiologic cohort studies. Our retention rate was higher than the retention rates in most dyadic intervention studies (69%). A well-functioning research team and specific strategies (e.g. eHealth intervention, Internet phone, online surveys) facilitated recruitment and retention in this population-based, dyadic study with cancer patients and their partners.

Race and COVID-19 among Social Workers in Health Settings: Physical, Mental Health, Personal Protective Equipment, and Financial Stressors.

Social work is an essential workforce integral to the United States' public health infrastructure and response to COVID-19. To understand stressors among frontline social workers during COVID-19, a cross-sectional study of U.S-based social workers (N = 1,407) in health settings was collected (in June through August 2020). Differences in outcome domains (health, mental health, personal protective equipment [PPE] access, financial stress) were examined by workers' demographics and setting. Ordinal logistic, multinomial, and linear regressions were conducted. Participants reported moderate or severe physical (57.3 percent) and mental (58.3 percent) health concerns; 39.3 percent expressed PPE access concerns. Social workers of color were more likely to report significantly higher levels of concern across all domains. Those identifying as Black, American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN), Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI), multiracial, or Hispanic/Latinx were over 50 percent more likely to experience either moderate or severe physical health concerns, 60 percent more likely to report severe mental health concerns, and over 30 percent more likely to report moderate PPE access concerns. The linear regression model was significantly associated with higher levels of financial stress for social workers of color. COVID-19 has exposed racial and social injustices that that hold true for social workers in health settings. Improved social systems are critical not just for those impacted by COVID-19, but also for the protection and sustainability of the current and future workforce responding to COVID-19.

Continued usage of smart wearable devices (SWDs): cross-level analysis of gamification and network externality

With the increasing maturity of mobile networks and big data technology, smart wearable devices (SWDs) are regarded as a new technology trend following smartphones. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in telework and the growing interest in self-health monitoring have greatly promoted the market growth of SWDs. This study aimed to investigate the factors affecting the continued use of SWDs. A cross-level analysis model that integrates technical characteristics, gamification theory, perceived value theory, and network externality was constructed. A hierarchical linear model was employed to evaluate the data and test it against the hypotheses. The empirical results showed that, at the individual level, gamification enhances users’ value perceptions. Users pay more attention to rewards in gamification than to competition. Rewards were also found to effectively promote the users’ value perception and increase the intention to continue using the device. At the group level, the effect of network externality significantly influences the intention to continue using SWDs. Moreover, SWDs are associated with the phenomenon by which consumers conspicuously display and highlight their own characteristics, and this attribute is also a crucial factor enticing consumers to continue using SWDs. Developers should therefore establish clear product positioning and strengthen interactivity as early as possible to build a loyal customer base.

Genomic Epidemiology of Imported Cases of COVID-19 in Guangdong Province, China, October 2020 - May 2021.

Objective: The pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been engendering enormous hazards to the world. We obtained the complete genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 from imported cases admitted to the Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital, which was appointed by the Guangdong provincial government to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The SARS-CoV-2 diversity was analyzed, and the mutation characteristics, time, and regional trend of variant emergence were evaluated. Methods: In total, 177 throat swab samples were obtained from COVID-19 patients (from October 2020 to May 2021). High-throughput sequencing technology was used to detect the viral sequences of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary analyses were used to evaluate the mutation characteristics and the time and regional trends of variants. Results: We observed that the imported cases mainly occurred after January 2021, peaking in May 2021, with the highest proportion observed from cases originating from the United States. The main lineages were found in Europe, Africa, and North America, and B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 were the two major sublineages. Sublineage B.1.618 was the Asian lineage (Indian) found in this study, and B.1.1.228 was not included in the lineage list of the Pangolin web. A reasonably high homology was observed among all samples. The total frequency of mutations showed that the open reading frame 1a (ORF1a) protein had the highest mutation density at the nucleotide level, and the D614G mutation in the spike protein was the commonest at the amino acid level. Most importantly, we identified some amino acid mutations in positions S, ORF7b, and ORF9b, and they have neither been reported on the Global Initiative of Sharing All Influenza Data nor published in PubMed among all missense mutations. Conclusion: These results suggested the diversity of lineages and sublineages and the high homology at the amino acid level among imported cases infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Guangdong Province, China.

Social work, Parkinson's disease care, and COVID-19.

Parkinson's Disease is a neurological disease affecting over 10 million people worldwide. Interdisciplinary teams provide integrated care to people with Parkinson's Disease, including care for non-motor symptoms such as anxiety and depression, and many of these teams include social workers. This study sought to learn more about (a) clinical social work utilization across the continuum of care of PWP and their family care partners and (b) how patterns in utilization and service provision have shifted during the pandemic. This mixed method study identifies the breadth of roles performed by social workers in the comprehensive care of people with Parkinson's Disease (PWP). Findings underscore the important roles social workers play in providing comprehensive care for PWP and their families and their contributions to interdisciplinary teams providing holistic, integrated care, particularly during COVID-19 and into the future.

Bearing a Disproportionate Burden: Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Experiences of U.S.-Based Social Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

While social workers have served as frontline workers responding to the needs of vulnerable populations during COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about how social work professionals themselves have been impacted. This article explored the impact of COVID-19 on social work professionals' mental health, physical health, and access to personal protective equipment (PPE). This was a cross-sectional web-based survey of social workers practicing in the United States (N = 3,118); data on demographic and workplace characteristics, physical and mental health, and safety concerns were collected between June and August of 2020. Univariate statistics were used to characterize the sample. Ordinal logistic and multinomial regression were used to achieve the research aims. The majority of participants reported either moderate or severe concerns related to mental (55 percent) and physical (55 percent) health; 36 percent of respondents indicated concerns about PPE access. Respondents' concerns differed by demographic (e.g., race, age) and workplace characteristics (e.g., setting, role, region). Social workers of color are experiencing COVID-19-related concerns of significantly greater severity relative to their White counterparts. Findings highlight an immediate need to deepen understanding of the factors that contribute to these trends and identify mechanisms to support the frontline social work workforce most impacted.

Six months in: COVID-19 and its impact on oncology social work practice.

The extent to which oncology social workers (OSWs) are available and adapting to disruptions in service delivery throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown.Objectives: The purpose of this report is to outline the initial impact of COVID-19 on oncology social work practice during the first six months of the pandemic.Methods: As part of a nationwide investigation of workforce conditions for OSWs, three professional organizations surveyed their members to assess the effects of COVID-19 on changes to work hours, employment status, work setting, pay, and mode for patient contact (e.g., telephone or videoconference).Findings: Among 939 OSWs, 20% reported a reduction in work hours, and two-thirds indicated a temporary shift in work to home, with most patient contact occurring primarily via telephone or videoconference.Implications: Results speak to the essential nature of oncology social work and the need for evidence to inform OSW training and advocacy efforts for however long the pandemic continues.