Supporting the mental well-being of healthcare professionals during a pandemic.

Abstract

11037 Background: Burnout amongst healthcare professionals has been well-documented as a phenomenon that compromises the quality and viability of patient-centered care, particularly in oncology. Due to the extraordinary demands of the pandemic, burnout has emerged as a public health crisis that warrants immediate attention to preserve the wellbeing of healthcare staff. At the onset of the pandemic, The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC) at Jefferson, an urban NCI-designated cancer center, translated its support offerings to virtual events. Initially, healthcare providers (HP) sought support by attending patient programs. In response, SKCC initiated virtual programming to support the well-being and needs of the HP team. Methods: Within weeks of the state shutdown due to the pandemic, programs were initiated to address HP self-reported distress: Coping Effectively and Mindfulness Moments Each 30-minute session was facilitated by a licensed psychologist and social worker. Coping Effectively offers strategies from evidence based treatment including Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, to cope with distress and burnout. Mindful Moments draws from Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction practices including observing breath and guided meditations. These programs have been offered consistently throughout the pandemic. Schwartz Rounds, geared towards supporting the human side of healthcare, provided “hot” topic moderated discussions, four of which focused on the pandemic These discussions allow for HP to come together to discuss difficult topics and emotions impacting a variety of professionals. All programming was evaluated with a single question to measure the impact of the session on reducing distress. Each program began and ended with a poll asking, “How distressed do you currently feel?” Attendees respond on a Likert scale from 0 to 10, in which10 indicated the highest level of distress. Results: Since March 31st, 340 staff have attended Mindful Moments and 236 staff have attended Coping Effectively. From March 2020-February 2021, 382 attendees measured their distress before and after attending a staff program. Schwartz Rounds hosted 471 HP from a variety of disciplines. Participants were asked to complete an evaluation following rounds. 31% of program participants’ completed an evaluation form and 89% rated the program exceptional/very good. Conclusions: Despite the challenges of COVID-19, the pivot to virtually create programs to support staff during the pandemic was swift and thoughtful. The increased attendance and the feedback from evaluations are promising indicators of decreasing burnout amongst HP. How Distressed do you Currently Feel? (Average Score scale 1-10)[Table: see text]