Abstract
Objectives:Radiographers are key patient-facing healthcare professionals involved in many aspects of patient care. The working patterns and professional practice of the radiography workforce (RW) has been altered during the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey aimed to assess the impact of the pandemic on radiography practice in the United Kingdom (UK).Methods:An online cross-sectional survey of the UK RW was performed (March 25th to April 26th, 2020). The survey sought information regarding 1. Demographics 2. Impact of the pandemic on professional practice 3. Infection prevention/control and 4. COVID-19 related stress. Data collected was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (v.26).Results:A total of 522 responses were received, comprising n = 412 (78.9%) diagnostic and n = 110 (21.1%) therapeutic RW categories from across the UK. 12.5% (65/522) of the respondents were redeployed. Redeployment did not appear to contribute (p = 0.31) to work-related stress. However, fear of contracting the infection and perceived inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE) were identified as key contributors to stress during the study period. Compared to the therapeutic RW, a significantly higher proportion of the diagnostic RW identified fear of being infected as a major stressor (166/412 (40.3%) vs 30/110 (27.3%), p = 0.01).Conclusion:This survey has demonstrated changes to clinical practice, in particular to working patterns, service delivery and infection prevention and control were key contributors to workplace-related stress during the pandemic.Advances in knowledge:Timely and adequate staff training and availability of PPE as well as psychosocial support during future pandemics would enhance quality patient and staff safety.
Highlights
In December 2019, cases of pneumonia with an unidentified origin in a cluster of patients emerging from the Chinese City of Wuhan were reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO).[1,2] A few days after these reports, the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-C oV-2]) was confirmed as the pathogenic cause of these cases, and the outbreak was subsequently named coronavirus disease (COVID-19).[2]
This survey is a part of the international study [COVID-19 Response in Radiology (CORIRA)] aimed at assessing the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on radiology workforce and practice
This arm of the study aimed to assess the perceptions of the radiography workforce (RW) on the pandemic in the United Kingdom (UK); those on the temporary register and assistant practitioners (APs) were eligible so far as they are engaged in current practice or volunteering during the pandemic
Summary
In December 2019, cases of pneumonia with an unidentified origin in a cluster of patients emerging from the Chinese City of Wuhan were reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO).[1,2] A few days after these reports, the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-C oV-2]) was confirmed as the pathogenic cause of these cases, and the outbreak was subsequently named coronavirus disease (COVID-19).[2] The first confirmed cases outside mainland China were reported to the WHO from Japan, South Korea and Thailand on January 20th, 2020.3 The disease was subsequently reported in various continents, including Europe, with the United Kingdom (UK) reporting two cases on January 29th, 2020. The WHO declared the outbreak as a health emergency on January 30th, 20203 because of the rapidly increasing number of cases and deaths associated with the. There were 21,162,956 cases and 764,741 deaths reported worldwide, with 315,621 confirmed cases and 46,791 related deaths in the UK as at August 15th, 2020.4
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