Conducting research during the COVID-19 pandemic: the Op LASER study

Fikretoglu, Deniz; Thompson, Megan M.; Hendriks, Tonya; Nazarov, Anthony; Michaud, Kathy; Born, Jennifer; Sudom, Kerry; Bélanger, Stéphanie A.H.; Jetly, Rakesh

doi:10.24095/hpcdp.42.3.03

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The qualitative arm was a collection of in-depth, individual interviews with a focus on understanding the nuanced lived experiences of individuals taking part in the Operation LASER LTCF deployment (referred to as Interviews ). Figure 1 shows the deployment, administrative approval, and data collection timelines (adapted with permission from the study by Fikretoglu et al [ 11 ]). No remuneration was provided for research participation.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, germane to the study and this paper, at the time of the study protocol development (between April 2020 and May 2020), the situation was still unfolding, and certain aspects of Operation LASER LTCF were still unknown or in flux. This presented the research team with particular challenges in identifying the optimal study design for this initiative, all under tight time frames (ie, because of incomplete awareness of Operation LASER LTCF details and changes to Operation LASER LTCF parameters that were assumed to be static; for more information on specific challenges and lessons learned, refer to the study by Fikretoglu et al [ 11 ]). For instance, the deployment start date and end date were not identical for all personnel; start and end dates depended on LTCF location, and staffing requirements may have fluctuated across time (requiring reallocation of personnel to more than one Operation LASER role).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Moral Distress, Mental Health, and Risk and Resilience Factors Among Military Personnel Deployed to Long-Term Care Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Research Protocol and Participation Metrics

Nazarov¹,

Fikretoglu²,

Liu³

et al. 2023

JMIR Res Protoc

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Background The earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada were marked by a significant surge in COVID-19 cases and COVID-19–related deaths among residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs). As part of Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel were mobilized for an initial emergency domestic deployment to the hardest-hit LTCFs (Operation LASER LTCF) to support the remaining civilian staff in ensuring the continued delivery of care to residents. Akin to what was observed following past CAF international humanitarian missions, there was an expected increased risk of exposure to multiple stressors that may be psychologically traumatic and potentially morally injurious in nature (ie, related to core values, eg, witnessing human suffering). Emerging data from health care workers exposed to the unprecedented medical challenges and dilemmas of the early pandemic stages also indicated that such experiences were associated with increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes. Objective This study aims to identify and quantify the individual-, group-, and organizational-level risk and resilience factors associated with moral distress, moral injury, and traditional mental health and well-being outcomes of Operation LASER LTCF CAF personnel. This paper aimed to document the methodology, implementation procedures, and participation metrics. Methods A multimethod research initiative was conducted consisting of 2 primary data collection studies (a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews). The quantitative arm was a complete enumeration survey with web-based, self-report questionnaires administered at 3 time points (3, 6, and 12 mo after deployment). The qualitative arm consisted of individual, web-based interviews with a focus on understanding the nuanced lived experiences of individuals participating in the Operation LASER LTCF deployment. Results CAF personnel deployed to Operation LASER LTCF (N=2595) were invited to participate in the study. Data collection is now complete. Overall, of the 2595 deployed personnel, 1088 (41.93%), 582 (22.43%), and 497 (19.15%) responded to the survey at time point 1 (3 mo), time point 2 (6 mo), and time point 3 (12 mo) after deployment, respectively. The target sample size for the qualitative interviews was set at approximately 50 considering resourcing and data saturation. Interest in participating in qualitative interviews surpassed expectations, with >200 individuals expressing interest; this allowed for purposive sampling across key characteristics, including gender, rank, Operation LASER LTCF role, and province. In total, 53 interviews were conducted. Conclusions The data generated through this research have the potential to inform and promote better understanding of the well-being and mental health of Operation LASER LTCF personnel over time; identify general and Operation LASER LTCF–specific risk and protective factors; provide necessary support to the military personnel who served in this mission; and inform preparation and interventions for future missions, especially those more domestic and humanitarian in nature. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/44299

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moral Distress, Mental Health, and Risk and Resilience Factors Among Military Personnel Deployed to Long-Term Care Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Research Protocol and Participation Metrics

Nazarov¹,

Fikretoglu²,

Liu³

et al. 2023

JMIR Res Protoc

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“… 65 On Op LASER, exposure to PMIEs likely differed depending on a CAF member’s role. Internal reports documented PMIEs inside LTCFs, 41 such as witnessing mistreatment of patients and experiencing infection control issues. As a proxy for PMIEs, a dichotomous variable was created to distinguish those individuals working inside LTCFs (ie, patient care roles), where these events were documented, from those working outside LTCFs (eg, logistics and headquarters roles), where such experiences were less likely.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As part of Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CAF personnel deployed on domestic Operation LASER (Op LASER) in 2020 to support severely short-staffed civilian long-term care facilities (LTCF). 41 This unique non-combat, domestic operation exposed CAF members to stressors historically associated with negative effects on mental health, such as separation from family and friends 42 and novel stressors including the risk of exposure to a largely unknown, highly contagious virus and operating in a potentially morally injurious environment. CAF healthcare providers (HCPs) worked with vulnerable and ill elderly populations in a setting where some residents were treated roughly, and denied meals, together with serious infection control issues.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of modifiable organisational factors in decreasing barriers to mental healthcare: a longitudinal study of mission meaningfulness, team relatedness and leadership trust among Canadian military personnel deployed on Operation LASER

Born,

Liu,

Sudom

et al. 2024

BMJ Open

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ObjectivesThe literature presents complex inter-relationships among individual-factors and organisational-factors and barriers to seeking mental health support after deployment. This study aims to quantify longitudinal associations between such factors and barriers to mental health support.DesignA longitudinal online survey of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel collected data at 3 months post-deployment (T1), 6 months post-deployment (T2) and 1 year post-deployment (T3).SettingIn 2020, as part of Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2595 CAF personnel deployed on Operation LASER to support civilian long-term care facilities in Québec and Ontario.ParticipantsAll Operation LASER personnel were invited to participate: 1088, 582 and 497 responded at T1, T2 and T3, respectively. Most respondents were young, male, non-commissioned members.Main outcome measuresBarriers to mental health support were measured using 25 self-reported items and grouped into theory-based factors, including eight factors exploring care-seeking capabilities, opportunities and motivations; and two factors exploring moral issues. Logistic regressions estimated the crude and adjusted associations of individual and organisational characteristics (T1) with barriers (T2 and T3).ResultsWhen adjusting for sex, military rank and mental health status, increased meaningfulness of deployment was associated with lower probability of endorsing barriers related to conflicts with career goals and moral discomfort in accessing support at T2. Higher scores in trust in leadership were associated with lower probability of endorsing four barriers at T2, and five barriers at T3.ConclusionsWe identified several modifiable organisational-level characteristics that may help reduce perceived barriers to mental health support in military and other high-risk occupational populations. Results suggest that promoting individuals’ sense of purpose, instilling trust in leadership and promoting relatedness among team members may improve perceptions of access to mental health supports in the months following a domestic deployment or comparable occupational exposure.

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Moral Distress, Mental Health, and Risk and Resilience Factors Among Military Personnel Deployed to Long-Term Care Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Research Protocol and Participation Metrics (Preprint)

Nazarov¹,

Fikretoglu²,

Liu³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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BACKGROUND The earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada were marked by a significant surge in COVID cases and COVID-related deaths among residents of long-term care facilities (LTCF; also known as centres d’hébergement et de soins de longue durée [CHSLD] in Québec). As part of Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel were mobilized for an initial emergency domestic deployment to the hardest-hit LTCFs (Operation LASER LTCF) to support the remaining civilian staff in ensuring the continued delivery of care to residents. Akin to what was observed following past CAF international humanitarian missions, there was an expected increased risk of exposure to multiple stressors that may be psychologically traumatic and potentially morally injurious in nature (i.e., related to important values; e.g., witnessing human suffering). Emerging data from healthcare workers exposed to the unprecedented medical challenges and dilemmas of the early pandemic stages was also pointing to such experiences being associated with increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes. OBJECTIVE To identify and quantify the individual-, group-, and organizational-level risk and resilience factors associated with moral distress, moral injury and traditional mental health and well-being outcomes of Operation (Op) LASER LTCF CAF personnel. METHODS A multimethod research initiative was conducted, consisting of two primary data collection studies (a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews). The quantitative arm was a complete enumeration survey with online self-report questionnaires administered at three timepoints (3, 6, and 12 months post-deployment). The qualitative arm consisted of individual interviews conducted virtually, with a focus on understanding the nuanced lived experiences of individuals taking part in the Op LASER LTCF deployment. RESULTS CAF personnel deployed to Op LASER LTCF (n = 2,595) were invited to participate in the study. Overall, 1,088, 582, and 497 individuals responded to the survey at Time 1 (3 months), Time 2 (6 months), and Time 3 (12 months) post-deployment, providing a participation rate of 41.9%, 22.4%, and 19.2% for Time 1, Time 2, and Time 3, respectively. Data for all three timepoints was obtained from 212 participants (representing 19.5% of all Time 1 responses). The target sample size for qualitative interviews was set at approximately 50, with considerations for resourcing and data saturation. Interest in participating in qualitative interviews surpassed expectations with over 200 individuals expressing interest; this allowed for purposive sampling across key characteristics, including gender, rank, Op LASER LTCF role, and province. In total, 53 interviews were conducted. CONCLUSIONS The data generated by this research is being used to inform and better understand the well-being and mental health of Op LASER LTCF personnel over time, identify general and Op LASER LTCF-specific risk and protective factors, provide necessary supports to the military personnel who served in this mission, and to inform preparation and interventions for future missions, especially those more of a domestic and humanitarian nature.

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Conducting research during the COVID-19 pandemic: the Op LASER study

Cited by 4 publications

References 6 publications

Moral Distress, Mental Health, and Risk and Resilience Factors Among Military Personnel Deployed to Long-Term Care Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Research Protocol and Participation Metrics

Moral Distress, Mental Health, and Risk and Resilience Factors Among Military Personnel Deployed to Long-Term Care Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Research Protocol and Participation Metrics

Role of modifiable organisational factors in decreasing barriers to mental healthcare: a longitudinal study of mission meaningfulness, team relatedness and leadership trust among Canadian military personnel deployed on Operation LASER

Moral Distress, Mental Health, and Risk and Resilience Factors Among Military Personnel Deployed to Long-Term Care Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Research Protocol and Participation Metrics (Preprint)

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