Exploring the Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Pediatric Palliative Care Clinician Personal and Professional Well-Being: a qualitative analysis of U.S. Survey Data

Exploring the Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Pediatric Palliative Care Clinician Personal and Professional Well-Being: a qualitative analysis of U.S. Survey Data

Rosenberg A R; Weaver M S; Fry A; Wiener L

Journal of pain and symptom management

2020

Burnout; Covid-19; Pediatric; Professional; Resilience; Well-being; Work-life balance

CONTEXT: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on palliative care delivery and patient experiences. Less is known about the experiences and responses of palliative care clinicians. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to describe the pandemic's impact on pediatric palliative care clinicians' personal and professional wellbeing. METHODS: The Palliative Assessment of Needed DEvelopments &Modifications In the Era of Coronavirus (PANDEMIC) cross-sectional online survey was posted on 7 professional listservs between May and June, 2020. We conducted a conventional content analysis of written responses to three open-ended questions regarding the lasting impact of COVID-19. RESULTS: Of 207 multidisciplinary respondents from 80 U.S. cities, 148 (71%) provided written responses to open-ended questions and 62 responses (42%) were related to personal, professional, or existential well-being. These responses were sorted into 4 major categories: personal burdens, professional burdens, personal benefits, and professional benefits. Respondents described burdens more commonly than they did benefits (67% versus 33% of comments, respectively). Personal burdens related to increased fear and uncertainty, fear of bringing the virus home, and a sense of collective grief. Professional burdens included a sense of exhaustion, a challenge with work-life balance, personal experiences with colleagues infected with the virus, and considerations of leaving healthcare altogether. Personal benefits included lessons-learned, an evolving sense of what matters, and improved work-life balance. Professional benefits included opportunities for professional development and a sense of professional purpose. CONCLUSION: Pediatric palliative care clinicians perceive a breadth of impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Ongoing clinician assessment is important as the pandemic continues.

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