• Phui-Sze Angie Au-Yong, Wee-Ming Peh, Frederick Hong-Xiang Koh, Li-Ming Teo, Siok-Peng Ng, Alina Li-Na Tan, Aven Shan-Hua Ng, and Min-Hoe Chew.
• Division of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Singapore General Hospital; Department of Anaesthesia, Division of Nursing, Sengkang General Hospital, Singapore.
• Singap Med J. 2022 Sep 1; 63 (9): 514519514-519.

IntroductionThere is worldwide concern over the psycho-emotional impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aimed to elicit HCWs' perceptions of the adequacy of protective measures in high-risk clinical areas and the factors associated with these perceptions.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study conducted in April 2020. An anonymous electronic survey was sent via email to operating theatre (OT) and intensive care unit (ICU) staff of Sengkang General Hospital, Singapore.ResultsOf the 358 eligible participants, 292 (81.6%) responded to the survey. 93.2% of the participants felt that precautionary measures at work were sufficient and 94.9% acknowledged that adequate training was provided. More than 60% of the participants opined that their chances of contracting COVID-19 were moderate to high. Female gender, nursing occupation and duration of service <10 years were significantly associated with increased fear of contracting COVID-19, less control over occupational exposure and lower perceived need to care for COVID-19 patients. Having young children at home did not significantly affect these perceptions. The most important ICU precautions were availability of personal protective equipment outside the rooms of COVID-19 positive patients (95.3%) and having visitor restrictions (95.3%). The most important OT measures were having a dedicated OT for COVID-19 positive patients (91.2%) and having simulation as part of protocol familiarisation (91.7%).ConclusionOverall, there was high confidence in the adequacy of COVID-19 protective measures to prevent healthcare transmission in Singapore. The pandemic had a lower degree of psycho-emotional impact on HCWs here as compared to other countries.

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