Emotional Health and Mental Coaching: Safeguarding Oncological Patients’ Mental Health in the COVID-19 Era

Abstract

The new Coronavirus infection, called COVID-19, has appeared on the world stage with significant implications for patients suffering from cancer and their caregivers. Patients with oncological diseases are particularly at risk, both for morbidity and lethality related to respiratory virus infections and are exposed to a higher risk of severe events. The assistance to these types of patients had to deal with the consequences and damage that arise from a state of health emergency and has therefore undergone a remodeling. While the threat of slowdowns threatens patients and all people who risk being diagnosed late, many oncologists face severe occupational burnout. This situation has repercussions on an emotional level: a shared path is desirable to protect the patient himself and the health professionals who take responsibility for the therapeutic care process of such fragile patients. Our model of assistance is based on coaching pointed towards patients affected by cancer, their caregivers and healthcare professionals with the aim of addressing the crisis through an operational process aimed at helping to integrate the experience of illness in order to rebuild the continuity of the existence and give it an evolutionary sense.