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).

Research Approach

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.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 对儿科肿瘤社会工作者职业和个人生活的影响

摘要

目的

描述 COVID-19 大流行对儿科肿瘤社会工作者 (POSW) 的工作结构、提供的日常护理、个人生活和实践模式的影响。

研究方法

从 2020 年 10 月 5 日到 2020 年 11 月 20 日，对 APOSW 专业列表服务进行横断面在线调查。

样本

POSW 完成了来自 31 个州和哥伦比亚特区的 101 项调查。

方法

数据进行了描述性总结，并进行了语义内容分析。

发现

调查由来自不同工作环境的社会工作者完成。75% 的社会工作者被认为是“必不可少的”，45% 的人表示主要在家工作。大多数 (56%) 采用远程医疗形式进行患者护理，尽管 71% 没有接受远程医疗培训，87% 认为远程医疗的护理质量较差。近 80% 的受访者表示无法提供最佳的社会心理护理。社会工作实践的显着压力源包括担心接触 COVID-19、资源有限、缺乏与患者和家属的接触和增加的情感需求、管理患者和家属对 COVID-19 的担忧，以及与同事隔离。确定了不平等和社会正义问题。尽管面临挑战，但超过 60% 的 POSW 赞同大流行给他们的工作生活带来了积极的变化。

结论/解释

随着 COVID-19 大流行的持续，POSW 已经适应了不断变化的工作环境、不同的服务提供模式以及严重的健康不平等，以满足危机中患者和家庭的需求。

对社会心理提供者的影响

COVID-19 极大地影响了 POSW 的个人和职业生活，需要注意吸取的教训和未来的方向。