The impact of COVID-19 on the professional and personal lives of pediatric oncology social workers.
J Psychosoc Oncol
; 39(3): 428-444, 2021.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1196920
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
Describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work structure, daily care provided, personal lives, and practice models for pediatric oncology social workers (POSW). RESEARCHAPPROACH:
Cross-sectional online survey on APOSW professional listserv from 10/5/2020 to 11/20/2020. SAMPLE 101 surveys were completed by POSW from 31 states and the District of Columbia.METHODS:
Data were summarized descriptively and with semantic content analyses.FINDINGS:
Surveys were completed by social workers from diverse work settings. Seventy-five percent of social workers were deemed "essential," and 45% reported working primarily from home. Most (56%) adopted a form of telehealth for patient care, although 71% did not receive telehealth training and 87% perceived lesser quality of care with telehealth. Nearly 80% of respondents reported not being able to provide optimum psychosocial care. Notable stressors on social work practice included worry about exposure to COVID-19, limited resources, lack of contact with and increased emotional needs of patients and families, managing patient and family concerns about COVID-19, and isolation from colleagues. Inequity and social justice issues were identified. Despite challenges, over 60% of POSW endorsed positive changes to their work life resulting from the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION:
As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, POSW have adapted to a changing work environment, different modes of service provision, and stark health inequities to meet the needs of patients and families in a crisis. IMPLICATIONS FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL PROVIDERS COVID-19 vastly impacted the personal and professional lives of POSW, warranting attentiveness to lessons learned and future directions.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Telemedicine
/
Social Workers
/
Psychosocial Intervention
/
COVID-19
/
Neoplasms
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adult
/
Child
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
J Psychosoc Oncol
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
07347332.2021.1912245
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