CARING ADVANCED CANCER PATIENTS AT HOME DURING COVID-19 OUTBREAK: BURNOUT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MORBIDITY AMONG PALLIATIVE CARE PROFESSIONALS IN ITALY

Varani, Silvia; Ostan, Rita; Franchini, Luca; Ercolani, Giacomo; Pannuti, Raffaella; Biasco, Guido; Bruera, Eduardo

OBJECTIVE: Providing palliative care (PC) at home for advanced cancer patients has become essential during the Covid-19 emergency. Nevertheless, the home PC professionals (PCPs) faced a challenging situation due to increased number of discharged patients, reduced availability of healthcare facilities and physical/relational barriers between them and patients. This study aimed to investigate the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on burnout and psychological morbidity among home PCPs in Italy. METHODS: One hundred and ninety-eighth PC physicians and nurses working in home assistance in Italy were invited to participate. The results obtained by the investigation conducted during the Covid-19 emergency (COVID2020) were compared with data collected in 2016 in the same setting (BURNOUT2016). The questionnaires (socio-demographics, Maslach Burnout Inventory and General Health Questionnaire-12) were the same for both the surveys. The PCPs participating in COVID2020 survey (n=145) were mostly the same (70%) who participated to the BURNOUT2016 study (n=179). RESULTS: One hundred and forty-five PCPs participated in the study (response rate 73.2%). During the Covid-19 emergency, home PCPs presented a lower burnout frequency (p<.001) and higher level of personal accomplishment than in 2016 (p=.047). Conversely, the risk for psychological morbidity was significantly higher during the pandemic (p<.001). CONCLUSIONS: In the age of Covid-19, the awareness of being at the forefront of containing the pandemic along with the sense of responsibility toward their high-risk patients may arouse PCPs psychological distress, but, on the other hand, this condition may improve their sense of professional satisfaction and personal accomplishment.