Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Oncology Clinical Research in Latin America (LACOG 0420).

PURPOSE: COVID-19 has affected cancer care worldwide. Clinical trials are an important alternative for the treatment of oncologic patients, especially in Latin America, where trials can be the only opportunity for some of them to access novel and, sometimes, standard treatments. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study, in which a 22-question survey regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on oncology clinical trials was sent to 350 representatives of research programs in selected Latin American institutions, members of the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group. RESULTS: There were 90 research centers participating in the survey, with 70 of them from Brazil. The majority were partly private or fully private (n = 77; 85.6%) and had confirmed COVID-19 cases at the institution (n = 57; 63.3%). Accruals were suspended at least for some studies in 80% (n = 72) of the responses, mostly because of sponsors' decision. Clinical trials' routine was affected by medical visits cancelation, reduction of patients' attendance, reduction of other specialties' availability, and/or alterations on follow-up processes. Formal COVID-19 mitigation policies were adopted in 96.7% of the centers, including remote monitoring and remote site initiation visits, telemedicine visits, reduction of research team workdays or home office, special consent procedures, shipment of oral drugs directly to patients' home, and increase in outpatient diagnostic studies. Importantly, some of these changes were suggested to be part of future oncology clinical trials' routine, particularly the ones regarding remote methods, such as telemedicine. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this was the first survey to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on Latin American oncology clinical trials. The results are consistent with surveys from other world regions. These findings may endorse improvements in clinical trials' processes and management in the postpandemic period.

A qualidade de vida dos profissionais da enfermagem que atuam no centro cirúrgico / The quality of life of nursing professionals working in the surgical center

Este artigo tem por objetivo identificar os domínios da qualidade de vida dos profissionais de enfermagem que atuam nos centros cirúrgicos de quatro hospitais do Rio Grande do Sul. Tratase de um estudo transversal realizado a partir de dois questionários: um sócio demográfico e o SF-36 (Medical Outcomes Study 36 ­ Item Short ­ Form Health Survey). Para o tratamento estatístico foram aplicadas frequência, média e desvio padrão em variáveis nominais e o teste t para amostras independentes. A amostra do estudo (125 participantes: 81,6% sexo feminino) correspondeu a 57,33% da população total, destes 48,8% eram do bloco cirúrgico, 30,4% da central de materiais e 20,8% da sala de recuperação anestésica. A média de idade foi de 35,8 anos e a média de atuação na instituição foi de 4,6 anos. Os oito domínios avaliados evidenciaram um escore médio superior a 50, porém, "Estado Geral de Saúde", "Dor" e "Vitalidade" apresentaram os menores escores. O estudo revela aspectos importantes sobre a qualidade de vida dos profissionais da enfermagem, apontando fatores com possibilidades de melhorias nos domínios avaliados.(AU)

This article aims to identify the domains of the nursing professional's quality of life domains that work in the surgical centers of four hospitals in Rio Grande do Sul. It is a cross-sectional study which has been realized as of two questionnaires, one was a socioeconomic and the other one was the SF-36 (Medical Outcomes Study 36 - Item Short - Form Health Survey). For statistics processing, frequency, mean and standard deviation have been applied to nominal variables and T Test for independent samples. The sample of the study (125 participants: 81,6% female gender) have corresponded to 57,33% of the total population, from that total 48,8% are from the surgical center, 30,4% are from the material center, and 20,8% are from the anesthesia recovery room. The average age is of 35,8 years old and the mean of working years in the institution is of 4,6 years. The eight domains which have been evaluated, have obtained average score superior to 50,0, although, "General State of Health", "Pain" and "Vitality" have presented the minor scores. The study discloses important aspects regarding the interference in the professionals' quality of life, pointing out factors with potential for improvement among the evaluated domains.(AU)