The COVID-19 pandemic has affected individuals' and society's physical and psychological well-being. The study was conducted in order to assess the predictors for health-related worries during the COVID-19 pandemic in vulnerable populations. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey of women who had a higher risk of developing breast cancer (BC) or ovarian cancer (OC) was conducted, regardless of whether they had experienced an active malignant disease during the pandemic. A self-reported questionnaire was designed for this study to assess health-related worries. The PHQ-4 questionnaire was used to evaluate mental health, and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) questionnaire was employed to investigate resilience. Results: History of BC or OC was recognized as an independent significant risk factor for worries regarding being more susceptible to a more severe course of COVID-19 disease (OR 3.593; 95% CI 1.030-12.536; p = 0.045). High scores in the BRS questionnaire were negatively correlated with health-related worries, such as an increased risk for occurrence of BC or OC (OR 0.332; 95% CI 0.118-0.933; p = 0.37) or worsening of oncological outcome as a result of an infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (OR 0.330; 95% I 0.114-0.956; p = 0.041). Conclusion:The obtained findings determined resilience as an independent and potent protective parameter in terms of health-related concerns in women at high risk for BC and OC. The results may assist in identifying women at risk for health-related concerns during adverse life events, allowing healthcare providers to respond fast and according to the patients´ needs.

ObjectivesTo identify patient-approved contingency measures for protection of patients and healthcare workers (HCWs) from COVID-19 infection and to use these findings to improve staff’s preparedness to cope with the course of this pandemic or similar situations.Methods (design, setting, participants, interventions)We conducted a cross-sectional, web-based survey of women with an increased risk of breast or ovarian cancer, regardless of whether they had experienced an active malignant disease during the pandemic. A self-reported questionnaire, developed for this study, was used to assess expectations and opinions about preventive measures within medical institutions.ResultsSixty-four (71.9%) of the 89 potential participants responded to at least one question regarding contingency measures within medical institutions. Approximately 37% of the respondents preferred having information about their facility’s hygiene protocols before appointment; 57.8% of the respondents endorsed regular SARS-CoV-2 testing of patients prior to medical appointments and 95.3% endorsed regular testing of HCWs. Additionally, 84.4% of the respondents supported HCWs’ use of surgical masks and 68.8% supported HCWs’ use of masks with greater protection. Notably, 75.0% of the respondents advocated for the presence of a significant other during medical consultations; 71.9% approved the use of telemedicine and 93.8% endorsed changes in appointment practices to enable social distancing. No significant associations were found between respondents’ sociodemographic, disease-specific or pandemic-specific factors and their opinions on hygiene precautions.ConclusionsPatients at high risk of infection or severe course of COVID-19 approve strict contingency measures designed to lower the transmission of COVID-19 in medical facilities. Moreover, vulnerable groups may profit from contingency plans in healthcare facilities in order to follow preventive measures, avoid diagnostic delay or avoid worsening of pre-existing conditions. However, they also value the presence of a significant other during medical consultations and procedures.