Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY
Amy Gallagher , Julia Faller , Kristin Cianchetti , Steven J. Nurkin , Gary Mann , Amy Allen Case
Background: Oncology Healthcare Workers (HCWs) provide extraordinary treatment to patients coping with distinct challenges. While experiences of burnout, compassion fatigue, and moral distress are not new, the COVID-19 pandemic further emphasized that intentional effort is needed to mitigate these negative work-related consequences. While Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (Roswell) initiated pre-pandemic grassroots efforts to examine burnout and build organizational resilience, deliberate resources were deemed necessary to support HCW resilience and well-being. Roswell committed to building a division solely focused on employee resiliency and burnout prevention. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative data were collected to identify organizational needs and pain points. Qualitative data was collected by the Resiliency Director who held over 100 conversations in 100 days with diverse personnel across the institute. Discussions focused on two questions (e.g., What’s working well? and What are the pebbles in employees’ shoes?) to assess organizational strengths are growth areas. Quantitative data was obtained through the Mini-Z, a validated burnout screener. All employees were emailed an invitation to take the survey over an 8-week period starting in December 2022. Concerned employees could self-refer to the Employee Assistance Program at the screener’s conclusion. Results: Qualitative data was categorized into Maslach's burnout drivers (workload, relationships, recognition, fairness, autonomy, and values conflict). Highlights included staff shortages, eroding of relationships during the pandemic, siloed communication, inconsistent recognition, micromanagement, and use of antiquated systems. Mini-Z results are displayed in the table. An interactive dashboard helped further examine demographics, role, and departmental data. Press Ganey employee engagement data also supported improvements for staff well-being, transparent communication, collaboration, recognition, and enhanced technology. Conclusions: Quantitative and qualitative data can drive individual, departmental, and organizational interventions to support HCW well-being. The newly established MedStaff Satisfaction and Wellness group is using the data to focus on recognizing the needs of the medical staff on an organizational level and is preparing to offer solutions to key stakeholders. HCWs are now incorporating activities aiming to build psychological safety, enhance communication, and advance well-being into their work routines through training, wellness activities, and emotional support. The Mini-Z screener has been made available in the Employee Health Portal permitting ease of personal reassessment.
Joyful Workplace Reported | Highly Supportive Workplace Reported | Manageable Stress & Pace Reported | |
---|---|---|---|
MDs (n=40) | 15% | 33% | 15% |
APPs (n=64) | 9% | 16% | 3% |
Nurses (n=210) | 13% | 21% | 11% |
All Staff (n=1058) | 19% | 33% | 14% |
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