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JMIR Publications, JMIR Perioperative Medicine, 1(5), p. e40209, 2022

DOI: 10.2196/40209

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Experiences of Health Care Professionals Working Extra Weekends to Reduce COVID-19–Related Surgical Backlog: Cross-sectional Study

Journal article published in 2022 by Clyde Matava ORCID, Jeannette P. So ORCID, Alomgir Hossain ORCID, Simon Kelley ORCID
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

Background During the quiescent periods of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we implemented a weekend-scheduled pediatric surgery program to reduce COVID-19–related backlogs. Over 100 staff members from anesthesiologists to nurses, surgeons, and administrative and supporting personnel signed up to work extra weekends as part of a novel weekend elective pediatric surgery program to reduce COVID-19–related backlog: Operating Room Ramp-Up After COVID-19 Lockdown Ends-Extra Lists (ORRACLE-Xtra). Objective In this study, we sought to evaluate staff perceptions and their level of satisfaction and experiences with working extra scheduled weekend elective surgical cases at the end of the 3-month pilot phase of ORRACLE-Xtra and identify key factors for participation. Methods Following the pilot of ORRACLE-Xtra, all perioperative staff who worked at least 1 weekend list were invited to complete an online survey that was developed and tested prior to distribution. The survey collected information on the impact of working weekends on well-being, overall satisfaction, and likelihood of and preferences for working future weekend lists. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association of well-being with satisfaction and willingness to work future weekend lists. Results A total of 82 out of 118 eligible staff responded to the survey for a response rate of 69%. Staff worked a median of 2 weekend lists (IQR 1-9). Of 82 staff members, 65 (79%) were satisfied or very satisfied with working the extra weekend elective lists, with surgeons and surgical trainees reporting the highest levels of satisfaction. Most respondents (72/82, 88%) would continue working weekend lists. A sense of accomplishment was associated with satisfaction with working on the weekend (odds ratio [OR] 19.97, 95% CI 1.79-222.63; P=.02) and willingness to participate in future weekend lists (OR 17.74, 95% CI 1.50-200.70; P=.02). Many (56/82, 68%) were willing to work weekend lists that included longer, more complex cases, which was associated with a sense of community (OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.02-0.63; P=.01). Conclusions Staff participating in the first 3 months of the ORRACLE-Xtra program reported satisfaction with working weekends and a willingness to continue with the program, including doing longer, more complex cases. Institutions planning on implementing COVID-19 surgical backlog work may benefit from gathering key information from their staff.