Prospective assessment of stress and health concerns of radiation oncology staff during the COVID-19 pandemic

Sebastian M Christ; Michael Denner; Nicolaus Andratschke; Panagiotis Balermpas; Brigitte Hilty; Stephanie Tanadini-Lang; Lotte Wilke; Sophie Perryck; Matthias Guckenberger

doi:10.1016/j.ctro.2022.06.001

Prospective assessment of stress and health concerns of radiation oncology staff during the COVID-19 pandemic

Clin Transl Radiat Oncol. 2022 Jul:35:110-117. doi: 10.1016/j.ctro.2022.06.001. Epub 2022 Jun 8.

Authors

Sebastian M Christ¹, Michael Denner¹, Nicolaus Andratschke¹, Panagiotis Balermpas¹, Brigitte Hilty¹, Stephanie Tanadini-Lang¹, Lotte Wilke¹, Sophie Perryck¹, Matthias Guckenberger¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Abstract

Introduction and background: The COVID-19 pandemic has required rapid and repetitive adjustment of radiotherapy practice, hospital-level and department-level organization and hygiene measures. To prospectively monitor and manage stress levels and health concerns, employees of a radiation oncology department were invited to participate in weekly online surveys during the first year of the pandemic.

Materials and methods: Starting March 31st, 2020, cross-sectional online surveys were distributed to all employees of the Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Zurich. The survey included questions about the profession, the work setting, the global stress level as well as the health concerns during the past work week. Stress levels and health concerns were assessed on a 10-point scale. SurveyMonkey® was used to conduct the survey. Distribution was performed via email. Participation was anonymous and voluntary.

Results: Between March 2020 and February 2021, 50 weekly surveys were distributed to 127 employees on average and resulted in 1,877 individual responses. The average response rate was 30%. The mean global stress level varied significantly by profession, ranging from 2.7 (±2.5) points for administrative staff to 6.9 (±2.3) points for radiation therapy technicians (p < 0.001). The mean global stress level was highest with 4.8 (±2.9) points for in-hospital work with direct patient contact. Health concerns were highest regarding family and friends with 4.0 (±3.1) points on average. Changes of the stress level varied in correlation with infection waves.

Conclusion: Weekly online surveys for prospective assessment of stress levels and health concerns were successfully conducted during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating their feasibility and value to monitor profession and workplace specific stress patterns and to allowed for tailored interventions. The physical and mental health of frontline healthcare workers in radiation oncology should remain a top priority for departmental leadership beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19, Corona virus disease of 2019; HR, Human resources; Healthcare worker stress; PPE, Personal protective equipment; RTT, Radiation therapy technician; Radiation oncology; SD, Standard deviation; SOP, Standard operating procedure; USZ, University Hospital Zurich; UZH, University of Zurich; WHO, World Health Organization.