Fulltext

Safety attitudes, burnout and well-being among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: an Indo-Pacific regional cross-sectional study

Kanneganti A 1 , Tan BYQ 2 , Nik Ab Rahman NH 3 , Leow AS 2 , Denning M 4 , Goh ET 4 Show all authors , Hao Lim LJ 5 , Sia CH 6 , Chua YX 7 , Kinross J 4 , Tan M 8 , Tan LF 9 , Wan YM 10 , Sharma A 11 , Danuaji R 12 , Komal Kumar RN 13 , Sheng CK 14 , Kheng CP 15 , Abdul Karim SS 16 , Abdul Ghani MN 17 , Mahmud S 18 , Chan YH 19 , Sharma VK 2 , Sim K 20 , Suat Ooi SB 21

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University Hospital, Singapore
  • 2 Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
  • 3 Department of Emergency & Trauma, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia; Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu, Malaysia
  • 4 Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, UK
  • 5 Early Psychosis Intervention Program, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore
  • 6 Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore; Department of Cardiology, National University Heart Centre Singapore, Singapore
  • 7 National University Polyclinics - Pioneer, National University Health System, Singapore
  • 8 Department of Geriatric Medicine, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Singapore
  • 9 Division of Healthy Ageing, Alexandra Hospital, Singapore
  • 10 Department of Psychiatry, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Singapore
  • 11 Department of Neurology, Zydus Hospitals and BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
  • 12 Department of Neurology, Dr Moewardi Hospital, Kota Surakarta, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia
  • 13 Cerebrovascular Unit, Yashoda Institute of Neuroscience, Secunderabad, Telangana, India
  • 14 Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
  • 15 Emergency and Trauma Department, Sabah Women and Children's Hospital, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
  • 16 Emergency and Trauma Department, Hospital Sungai Buloh, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 17 Emergency and Trauma Department, Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab (II), Bandar Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
  • 18 Emergency and Trauma Department, Hospital Tuanku Jaafar, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
  • 19 Biostatistics Unit, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
  • 20 West Region, Institute of Mental Health; Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
  • 21 Emergency Medicine Department, National University Hospital; Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Singapore, Singapore
Singapore Med J, 2023 Nov;64(11):667-676.
PMID: 35139631 DOI: 10.11622/smedj.2022014

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an unprecedented impact in Asia and has placed significant burden on already stretched healthcare systems. We examined the impact of COVID-19 on the safety attitudes among healthcare workers (HCWs), as well as their associated demographic and occupational factors, and measures of burnout, depression and anxiety.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey study utilising snowball sampling was performed involving doctors, nurses and allied health professions from 23 hospitals in Singapore, Malaysia, India and Indonesia between 29 May 2020 and 13 July 2020. This survey collated demographic data and workplace conditions and included three validated questionnaires: the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ), Oldenburg Burnout Inventory and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. We performed multivariate mixed-model regression to assess independent associations with the SAQ total percentage agree rate (PAR).

RESULTS: We obtained 3,163 responses. The SAQ total PARs were found to be 35.7%, 15.0%, 51.0% and 3.3% among the respondents from Singapore, Malaysia, India and Indonesia, respectively. Burnout scores were highest among respondents from Indonesia and lowest among respondents from India (70.9%-85.4% vs. 56.3%-63.6%, respectively). Multivariate analyses revealed that meeting burnout and depression thresholds and shifts lasting ≥12 h were significantly associated with lower SAQ total PAR.

CONCLUSION: Addressing the factors contributing to high burnout and depression and placing strict limits on work hours per shift may contribute significantly towards improving safety culture among HCWs and should remain priorities during the pandemic.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

MeSH terms
Similar publications