The lived experience of cancer screening healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: an Italian multiregional survey.

Authors

Giulia Maddaleni, Elisa Betti, Erika Del Prete, Giuseppe Diegoli, Priscilla Sassoli de Bianchi, Debora Canuti, Francesca Sanseverino, Patrizia Falini, Francesca Battisti, Paola Mantellini

Published in

Epidemiologia e prevenzione. Volume 50. Issue 3. Pages 270-278.

Abstract

to explore the experiences and training needs of healthcare workers involved in cancer screening programmes in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
an anonymous questionnaire was developed by the Institute for Cancer Research, Prevention, and Clinical Network (ISPRO) of Florence (Italy), distributed using Google Forms between May and June 2023. Responses were collected using 5-point Likert scales, multiple-choice questions, and open-ended prompts. Descriptive analyses were performed using Stata/SE version 16.1 for quantitative data; thematic analysis was applied to open-ended questions.
the Italian Ministry of Health's CCM 2021 multiregional programme aimed to develop a training programme for cancer screening professionals to address COVID-19-related issues and maintain a high level of preparedness. This exploratory survey guided the design of the training programme which targeted cancer screening workers in 3 Regions: Toscana, Emilia-Romagna, and Basilicata.
the questionnaire comprised 36 items in 3 sections: experiences during the pandemic, organizational support, and sociodemographic characteristics.
the responses were 317. Participants were predominantly female (82.3%), mostly from Emilia-Romagna (65.0%) and Toscana (33.1%). The most frequently reported negative consequence concerned psychological well-being (63.1%), yet only 3.5% of the participants received psychological counselling, and nearly half (49.8%) reported no organizational support. However, teamwork and collaboration among colleagues were generally high (87.1%); 65.9% reported developing new competencies. Many opposed suspending first-level screening in future emergencies (46.1%) and strongly supported reaffirming screening importance within healthcare (89.3%) and society (92.8%). A structured pandemic plan was considered the most valuable measure (63.1%).
enhancing cancer screening programme resilience requires a systems-level approach integrating psychological support and proactive governance. Future policies should use these insights to safeguard users and professionals.

PMID:
42444461
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 14 Jul 2026.

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