How has COVID-19 changed health and social care professionals' attitudes to self-care? A mixed methods research study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the way services are delivered. Self-care, including good hygiene practices and avoidance of risk was emphasised as the key measure to tackle the pandemic in the early stages. Objective: To understand how self-reported professional attitudes, perceptions and practices of self-care have changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: Cross-sectional online survey and semi-structured qualitative interview. Setting: Health and social care. Participants: 304 health and social care professionals. Methods: A wide range of health and social care professionals took part in a 27-item anonymous online survey. Semi-structured qualitative interviews with nine health & social care professionals explored attitudes to and practices of self-care before and during the pandemic. Views were sought on the permanence and implications of changes. Data were analysed using routine statistics and thematic analysis to identify major themes. Results: A total of 304 health and social care professionals responded to the survey fully. Nine participated in a semi-structured interview. There was agreement that the importance of self-care has increased markedly during the pandemic. The percentage of respondents who felt that self-care was 'extremely' important to their clients increased from 54.3% to 86.6% since the pandemic. Personal empowerment and capacity of service users to self-care increased significantly during the pandemic. Willingness of patients to engage (74%) and poor understanding of self-care (71%) were cited as the two main barriers to self-care. A close third was digital exclusion (71%), though 86% of respondents recommending online resources and 77% the use of smartphone apps. Survey respondents believed the changes to be permanent and positive. Interviewees reported a major, and positive move to self-care with the pandemic seen as an opportunity to be grasped, but professional education would have to be aligned to make the most of it. They raised concerns as to ...