Study design and participants
We conducted four cross-sectional surveys of pediatric onco-hematologists throughout twenty Latin American countries during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The participating countries include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The results of the first survey, performed in April 2020, have already been published13. The survey was electronically distributed through the Latin American Society of Pediatric Oncology (SLAOP) (the International Society of Pediatric Oncology -SIOP-continental branch) email list in collaboration with St Jude Global and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). For each country participating in the study, the national delegate from the SLAOP network was assigned to promote the survey among physicians. The distribution of the online forms included mailshots (through the email list of the SLAOP and the Central and South America Region Branch of St. Jude Global-CASA).
Surveys were carried out at four strategic moments during the pandemic. The first one took place from April 12 to 19, 2020, during the first wave of infections in Europe and North America, but still few cases in LATAM. The second one took place from June 10 to 17, 2020, when cases were rising during the first wave in most LATAM countries. The third one was conducted from October 19 to 26, 2020, when the first wave started to resolve, and, finally, the fourth survey occurred from April 12 to 26, 2021, halfway through the region’s second wave.