Mental burden and moral distress among oncologists and oncology nurses in Germany during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey

Purpose There is evidence for mental burden and moral distress among healthcare workers during the pandemic. However, there is scarcity of analyses regarding possible correlations of mental burden and moral distress in this context. This study provides data to quantify mental burden and possible ass...

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Published in:Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology 2023-08, Vol.149 (9), p.6211-6223
Main Authors: Sommerlatte, Sabine, Lugnier, Celine, Schoffer, Olaf, Jahn, Patrick, Kraeft, Anna-Lena, Kourti, Eleni, Michl, Patrick, Reinacher-Schick, Anke, Schmitt, Jochen, Birkner, Thomas, Schildmann, Jan, Herpertz, Stephan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cancer Research
COVID-19
Cross-sectional studies
Health care
Hematology
Internal Medicine
Medical personnel
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Nurses
Oncology
Pandemics
Surveys
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Summary:Purpose There is evidence for mental burden and moral distress among healthcare workers during the pandemic. However, there is scarcity of analyses regarding possible correlations of mental burden and moral distress in this context. This study provides data to quantify mental burden and possible associations with moral distress among physicians and nurses working in oncology in Germany. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional online survey with physicians and nurses working in oncology in Germany between March and July 2021. Next to sociodemographic characteristics and working conditions, mental burden and moral distress were assessed using standardized instruments. Binary multivariate logistic regression using the enter method was performed in order to explore the relationship between mental burden and moral distress. Results 121 physicians and 125 nurses were included in the study. Prevalence of clinically relevant depressive symptoms, anxiety, somatic symptoms, burnout symptoms and moral distress was 19.2, 14.5, 12.7, 46.0 and 34.7% in physicians and 41.4, 24.0, 46.8, 46.6 and 60.0% in nurses respectively. Mental burden was significantly associated with moral distress, being female/diverse, younger age 
ISSN:0171-5216
1432-1335
DOI:10.1007/s00432-023-04580-x