The HERO Research Program—A PCORnet® Project to Support Studies on COVID-19 [Internet]

Excerpt

Background: At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as health care systems and workers struggled to care for themselves and others during a risky and uncertain time, the Healthcare Worker Exposure Response and Outcomes (HERO) Registry (NCT04342806) was created. HERO is a community of health care workers (HCWs) and members of their communities from across the United States that was created to learn about issues impacting frontline workers and to offer opportunities to participate in research studies.

Objectives: Create a virtual community of adult HCWs and their surrounding family and community members in the United States; establish an engaged and research-ready community of individuals interested in engaging in upcoming research studies, including those related to COVID-19; create a dataset of health-related measurements, risk factors, and outcomes for analysis; and share information about the HCW experience during the COVID-19 pandemic's initial, second, and any subsequent waves of infection.

Methods: HERO participants completed questionnaires via an online portal, including surveys on vaccination status, SARS-CoV-2 infection and long-term effects, issues in the workplace, and mental health and well-being.

Results: A total of 51 466 individuals joined the HERO Registry between April 10, 2020, and September 30, 2022. Participants were primarily female (76%) and White (75%). Approximately 12% of participants identified as Hispanic or Latinx. The majority of participants were HCWs (65%); among these HCWs, the largest proportion were nurses (29%). Participants resided in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. HERO Registry members reported on their experiences and the impacts of COVID-19 during 30 months of the pandemic. Our results showed that early in the pandemic, HCWs struggled with access to personal protective equipment, burnout, and fear of infection. Over time, our results showed contrasts between HCWs and non-HCWs in vaccine willingness and emotional distress. Most recently, results showed the longer-term effects of COVID-19 on health and well-being.

Conclusions: The HERO Registry generated key data from HCWs and their communities and family members during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research is needed to develop effective prophylactic and treatment interventions to better support these communities during the current and future pandemics.

Limitations: This is an observational study. The study objectives and questions evolved over time with the progression of the pandemic and input from stakeholders. The project strove to represent the diversity of the HCW workforce and population, but participants were predominantly female, White, and, among HCWs, nurses.