Longitudinal Study Comparing Mental Health Outcomes in Frontline Emergency Department Healthcare Workers through the Different Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Francesca Th’ng (), Kailing Adriel Rao, Lixia Ge, Hwee Nah Neo, Joseph Antonio De Molina, Wei Yang Lim and Desmond Mao
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Francesca Th’ng: Acute & Emergency Care Department, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, 90 Yishun Central, Singapore 768828, Singapore
Kailing Adriel Rao: Acute & Emergency Care Department, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, 90 Yishun Central, Singapore 768828, Singapore
Lixia Ge: Health Services and Outcomes Research, National Healthcare Group, 3 Fusionopolis Link, Singapore 138543, Singapore
Hwee Nah Neo: Acute & Emergency Care Department, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, 90 Yishun Central, Singapore 768828, Singapore
Joseph Antonio De Molina: Health Services and Outcomes Research, National Healthcare Group, 3 Fusionopolis Link, Singapore 138543, Singapore
Wei Yang Lim: School of Medicine, University of Galway, University Road, Galway H91TK33, Ireland
Desmond Mao: Acute & Emergency Care Department, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, 90 Yishun Central, Singapore 768828, Singapore

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 24, 1-27

Abstract: As countries transition from the COVID-19 pandemic to endemic status, healthcare systems continue to be under pressure. We aimed to quantify changes in depression, anxiety, stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) between 3 cohorts (2020, 2021 and 2022) of our Emergency Department (ED) healthcare workers (HCWs) and those who had worked through all 3 phases of the pandemic; and identify factors associated with poorer mental health outcomes (MHOs). In this longitudinal single-centre study in Singapore, three surveys were carried out yearly (2020, 2021 and 2022) since the COVID-19 outbreak. Depression, anxiety and stress were measured using DASS-21, and PTSD was measured using IES-R. A total of 327 HCWs (90.1%) participated in 2020, 279 (71.5%) in 2021 and 397 (92.8%) in 2022. In 2022, ED HCWs had greater concerns about workload (Mean score ± SD: 2022: 4.81 ± 0.86, vs. 2021: 4.37 ± 0.89, vs. 2020: 4.04 ± 0.97) and perceived to have less workplace support (2022: 4.48 ± 0.76, vs. 2021: 4.66 ± 0.70, vs. 2020: 4.80 ± 0.69). There was overall worsening depression (27.5% in 2020, 29.7% in 2021 and 32.2% in 2022) and stress (12.2% in 2020, 14.0% in 2021 and 17.4% in 2022). Healthcare assistants as a subgroup had improving MHOs. ED HCWs who were female and had psychiatric history, were living with the elderly, and had concerns about their working environment, workload and infection had poorer MHOs. This study will guide us in refining existing and devising more focused interventions to further support our ED HCWs’ wellbeing.

Keywords: COVID-19; depression; anxiety; stress; post-traumatic stress disorder; healthcare workers; emergency department; mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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