Burnout among COVID-19 hospital-based contact tracers in Singapore: results of a mixed-method, cross-sectional multicentre study.
10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2021-458
- Author:
Ian Matthias NG
1
;
Tzu-Jung WONG
2
;
Yong YANG
2
;
Indumathi VENKATACHALAM
2
;
Jean Xiang Ying SIM
3
;
Liang En WEE
3
;
Tau Ming LIEW
1
;
Evelyn BOON
4
;
Tong Yong NG
5
;
Hwi Kwang HAN
6
;
Diana Yuen Lan TAN
7
Author Information
1. Department of Psychiatry, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
2. Department of Infection Prevention and Epidemiology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
3. Department of Infectious Diseases, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
4. Department of Psychology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
5. Department of Pathology, Sengkang General Hospital, Singapore.
6. Department of Epidemiology, Sengkang General Hospital, Singapore.
7. Clinical Services, Changi General Hospital, Singapore.
- Publication Type:Multicenter Study
- Keywords:
Burnout;
COVID-19;
Copenhagen Burnout Inventory;
contact tracing;
healthcare workers
- MeSH:
Humans;
COVID-19/epidemiology*;
Burnout, Professional/epidemiology*;
Singapore/epidemiology*;
Female;
Male;
Cross-Sectional Studies;
Adult;
Middle Aged;
Risk Factors;
Surveys and Questionnaires;
Contact Tracing/methods*;
SARS-CoV-2;
Prevalence;
Pandemics
- From:Singapore medical journal
2025;66(12):651-658
- CountrySingapore
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
INTRODUCTION:During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, contact tracers were under immense pressure to deliver effective and timely contact tracing, raising concerns of higher susceptibility to burnout. Our study aimed to determine burnout prevalence among hospital-based contact tracers and associated risk factors, so that interventions to reduce burnout risk could be formulated.
METHODS:One hundred and ninety-six active contact tracers across three hospitals within a healthcare cluster were invited to complete an anonymous online survey. To identify burntout, data such as demographics, work-related variables and contact tracing-related variables were collected using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Associated factors were identified using multivariate statistics. Open-ended questions were included to understand the challenges and potential improvements through qualitative analysis.
RESULTS:A total of 126 participants completed the survey, giving a completion rate of 64%, and almost half of these participants (42.9%) reported burnout. Protective factors included being on work-from-home arrangements (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.08-0.56), perception of being well supported by their institution (adjusted OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.08-0.80) and being married (adjusted OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.12-0.64). Risk factors included having an administrative role pre-COVID-19 (adjusted OR 3.62, 95% CI 1.33-9.83). Work-related burnout was related to being activated for more than 1 day in the preceding week (unadjusted OR 3.25, 95% CI 1.33-7.94) and multiple activations in a day (unadjusted OR 3.54, 95% CI 1.44-4.41). Biggest challenges identified by participants were language barrier (62.7%), followed by workflow-related issues (42.1%).
CONCLUSION:Our study demonstrated burnout and other challenges faced by a team of mostly hospital-based administrative staff redeployed on a part-time basis to ensure timely contact tracing. To mitigate burnout, we recommend choosing staff on work-from-home arrangements and ensuring adequate manpower and rostering arrangements.
