Acting together on team resilience at work in oncology to optimize the capacity to cope with difficult situations: a multiple case study according to the realistic evaluation in the Quebec oncology network

Cancer care teams face difficult situations on a daily basis: announcement of a cancer diagnosis and bad news about the progression of the disease, distress of patients and their loved ones, scarcity of resources. These situations are amplified by COVID-19. Teams are at risk of compassion fatigue, burnout and being at the end of their resources. These risks affect team functioning, health and quality of life at work; and ultimately impact the provision of care. Although there are promising interventions, research to support resilience and assess its effects among specialized cancer teams is almost non-existent. The study aims to better understand how to intervene to support the resilience of teams working with people affected by cancer. To be useful and feasible, the intervention is based on a close partnership approach with professionals from clinical teams and members of management teams so that they can provide quality and safe care. We will analyze the facilitators and barriers to resilience and evaluate the effects of the intervention using interviews, observations and questionnaires. Four healthcare institutions in Quebec with several cancer teams have committed to participating. The study will provide new data on best practices to better support team resilience at work in a specialized care sector. The local support and detailed description of the intervention, its mechanisms of action and its effects are part of supporting decision-making to optimize team resilience capacity. The results may inspire other initiatives in Quebec, elsewhere in Canada and in other countries where the well-being of care teams is an essential condition for the provision of care during and after COVID-19.