Describing Remembrance & Renewal: A Holistic Self-Care Program.

Area of Science:

• Oncology nursing
• Healthcare worker well-being
• Grief and resilience studies

Background:

• Holistic care interventions are crucial for supporting healthcare workers, particularly in oncology.
• Limited programs exist to address grief and renewal among oncology healthcare workers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Relationship-based care paradigms emphasize the need for grief support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess awareness and engagement with the Remembrance & Renewal (R&R) program.
• To identify demographic factors associated with awareness and participation in the R&R program.
• To explore the impact of patient death, barriers to participation, and participant feelings related to the R&R program.

Main Methods:

• Anonymous electronic surveys were distributed to healthcare workers at an academic, comprehensive cancer center.
• Demographic data were analyzed against awareness and engagement metrics for the R&R program.
• Open-ended questions addressed the impact of patient death, participation barriers, and post-engagement feelings.

Main Results:

• Out of 105 respondents aware of the R&R program, 81 knew about it and 48 had engaged with it.
• Awareness was significantly associated with education level, work setting, and frequency of learning about patient deaths.
• Profession and job tenure were significantly associated with the level of program participation. Common barriers included time constraints, and participants reported feeling calm after engagement.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully characterized awareness and engagement with a holistic grief and renewal program for oncology healthcare workers.
• Findings highlight the importance of addressing time barriers to enhance participation in such programs.
• Further research is recommended to advance holistic self-care strategies for healthcare workers in demanding clinical environments.