Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Jun 14, 2021
Open Peer Review Period: May 27, 2021 - Jun 22, 2021
Date Accepted: Sep 26, 2021
Date Submitted to PubMed: Sep 28, 2021
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
The COVID-19 Study of Healthcare and Support Personnel (CHAMPS): A Longitudinal Observational Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Early during the development of the COVID-19 pandemic it was evident that healthcare workers, first responders and other essential workers would face significant stress and workplace demands related to equipment shortages and rapidly growing infections in the general population. Although the effects of other sources of stress on health have been documented, the effects of these unique conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term health and well-being of the healthcare workforce is not known.
Objective:
The CHAMPS study will document early and longitudinal effects of the pandemic on the mental and physical health of essential workers engaged in healthcare. We will investigate mediators and moderators of these effects and evaluate the influence of stress exposure, including morbidity and mortality over time. We will also examine the effect of protective factors and resilience on health outcomes.
Methods:
The study cohort is a convenience sample recruited nationally through communities, professional organizations, networks, social media and snowball sampling. Recruitment takes place for 13 months to attain an estimated sample of 3,000 adults who provide self-reported information administered online through structured questionnaires about their work environment, mental and physical health and psychosocial factors. Follow-up questionnaires are administered after 6 months and annually hereafter to ascertain changes in health, well-being and lifestyle. Consenting participants comprise the CHAMPS Registry, which enables them to enroll in future studies for which they may be eligible.
Results:
The study was approved by the institutional review board and launched in May 2020, with grants from Travere Therapeutics Inc., McKesson Corporation, anonymous donors and internal funding from the Villanova University M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing.
Conclusions:
The CHAMPS Study and Registry enables obtaining detailed data on the effects of extended psychosocial and workplace stress on morbidity and mortality and serves as a platform for ancillary studies related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical Trial: CHAMPS is registered in ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04370821.
Citation
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Copyright
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