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Semiqualitative research protocol to explore cancer care workforce perceptions of the health system response to COVID-19 preparations in Southeast Queensland, Australia
- Source :
- BMJ Open, BMJ Open, Vol 11, Iss 5 (2021)
- Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- IntroductionSars-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 officially declared pandemic in March 2020. Health systems worldwide responded with swift changes to increase workflow capacity while protecting the vulnerable, including those with cancer. This led to unprecedented and rapid restructuring of health service provision. Published data from the 2003 SARS pandemic focuses on medical and nursing staff, overlooking other departmental employees such as administration officers or food service workers. Our protocol aims to document directives and adjustments communicated to staff in two cancer care departments and correlate this with measures of distress and perceived preparedness across the spectrum of all staff involved in cancer care.Methods and analysisWe use a semiqualitative approach comprising weekly diarising of events and simultaneous staff surveys. Principal investigators will document changes at a metropolitan quaternary cancer centre and a regional cancer centre. Communications, directives and changes will be diarised in real time in four executional domains. Simultaneously, prospective voluntary self-administered online surveys will be conducted at regular intervals by staff. The survey assesses the perceived institutional preparedness and personal well-being, with a combination of Likert scaled and open response questions. A semiquantitative self-assessment of distress adapted from National Comprehensive Cancer Network distress thermometer is incorporated. Additionally, open-text personal reflections on themes including difficult decisions will be invited. Survey participants will be drawn from various work areas of the cancer care departments: administrative staff, health professionals, for example, allied health, ancillary workers, nursing and medical.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been reviewed and approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee (LNR/2020/QRBW/62982). Published literature on domains of distress neglects categories of healthcare worker who form an essential part of the care delivery team. Our study hopes to gather insights about psychosocial impact and adjustment which could direct responses in future emergencies.
- Subjects :
- Restructuring
health services administration & management
organisation of health services
Likert scale
quality in health care
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Nursing
Neoplasms
Pandemic
Medicine
Humans
030212 general & internal medicine
Prospective Studies
business.industry
SARS-CoV-2
Australia
COVID-19
General Medicine
Distress
Workflow
030220 oncology & carcinogenesis
Preparedness
Workforce
oncology
Perception
Queensland
Health Services Research
business
Psychosocial
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 20446055
- Volume :
- 11
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- BMJ open
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....50dca479757f81a8c314e0de97923268