Psychological Consequences of Professional Activity of Oncologists in Coronavirus Pandemic Conditions

Abstract

Medical and psychological studies conducted by the authors in the midst of the first wave of coronavirus pandemic (June 2020) to identify psychological consequences in the professional activities of oncologists in the context of coronavirus pandemic showed the following. In a situation of professional tension, in the uncertain and unpredictable conditions of medical outcomes, additional risks arise for the psychological and professional health of the doctor. There is a psychological "depletion" of that professional resource of a doctor, which directly affects the doctoring process effects. The critical research findings on such descriptors as burnout and communicative tendencies point to a problem of divergence with the principle of participation in personalized medicine. According to the results of the study, two-thirds of the examined oncologists have an explicated burnout syndrome and a low level of communicative components in communicating with cancer patients.