loading page

Resilience and Emotions of Frontline Obstetrics and Gynaecology Healthcare Workers During the Novel Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic: Cross-sectional Retrospective Descriptive Study
  • +2
  • Hester Lau,
  • Ni Ni Soe,
  • Monica Chua,
  • Jill Lee,
  • Suzanna Sulaiman
Hester Lau
KK Women's and Children's Hospital

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Ni Ni Soe
KK Women's and Children's Hospital
Author Profile
Monica Chua
KK Women's and Children's Hospital
Author Profile
Jill Lee
KK Women's and Children's Hospital
Author Profile
Suzanna Sulaiman
KK Women's and Children's Hospital
Author Profile

Abstract

Objective: To explore impact of COVID-19 outbreak on resilience and emotions of frontline healthcare workers (HCW) during the pandemic Design: Cross-sectional retrospective descriptive study Setting: KK Women and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, between 7 February to 30 April 2020 Population: One hundred and one (101) HCW who worked in COVID-19 screening facilities and wards Methods: The participants were given a survey designed to understand their emotions when caring for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, and how their various aspects of health were affected. The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) was used to evaluate their resilience. Results: Normal resilience scores were found in 72.6% of HCW, 11.3% had high resilience scores while 16.1% had low resilience scores. Doctors had higher resilience scores than nurses (3.8 vs 3.3, p-value 0.017). HCWs perceived their mental health was most affected, followed by social and physical health as a result of COVID-19 related work. The main stressors faced were related to their personal safety and that of their family. A positive attitude at work with good teamwork, time away from routine clinical work and appreciation received helped to relieve the emotional and psychological stress faced. Conclusion: It is essential to explore appropriate interventions for HCW with low resilience to better assist the coping mechanism during this pandemic. Stressors identified and feedback received through this study are useful for implementing supportive workforce resources during an infectious disease outbreak.