Recommendations to mitigate burnout among the oncology workforce have been shared by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). The paper outlines how to manage psychosocial risks, optimise wellbeing, and reduce burnout among oncology healthcare professionals (HCP) to support staff, improve efficiencies and help maintain the delivery of optimal cancer care.
The series of 11 recommendations targets improvements in three areas: information and training to support HCPs development and practice, resources to safeguard HCPs psychological and physical health, and activism and advocacy to support the wellbeing of the oncology workforce. The proposals are aimed at individual healthcare professionals, institutions and national and international societies.
A diverse, multinational panel of interprofessional experts developed the evidence-based plan designed to address the growing pressures placed on the profession and mitigate the threat they pose to the quality and equity of cancer care. The recommendations are based on the key findings from three previously reported ESMO Resilience Task Force (RTF) surveys, which included more than 3,700 responses from professionals in over 100 countries.
The measures include providing more training and individualised mentoring to support HCPs, allowing them to restore control over their career development. In addition, plans to ensure manageable workloads and offer more flexible working conditions are suggested, as well as the need to create more pleasant working environments with suitable equipment and the time and space to communicate with colleagues and reduce isolation.
ESMO stated that the recommendations are ‘fundamental’ for the future of cancer care. They warned that failing to make the necessary changes would cause the quality of cancer care to deteriorate across Europe, whilst global health inequalities would increase as high-income countries deplete the medical workforces of low- and middle-income countries to try to meet their labour needs.
For each area of action, the paper highlights various initiatives that ESMO is undertaking to help address the issue and provide tangible support to practitioners, including efforts to push for necessary political measures to protect the oncology workforce.
Commenting on the recommendations, Dr Jonathan Lim, member of the ESMO RTF and consultant medical oncologist in advanced immunotherapy and cell therapy at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, UK, said: ‘As oncologists on the ground, we see every day that morale is low and that the workforce is in crisis. Our hope is that this work will now serve as an evidence basis that individuals can use as leverage to advocate for change within their institutions, taking from the recommendations what is most valuable and feasible within their respective countries, cultures and working environments.’
In June, the Royal College of Radiologists warned that escalating workforce shortages were causing ‘growing delays’ in cancer diagnosis and treatment in the UK and ‘putting patients’ lives at risk’.
