Conclusions
The COVID-19 pandemic has, beyond physical health, caused emotional distress among the frontline HCW. The resilience score, feelings of HCW, their perceived stressors, and coping strategies were similar to those in other studies. However, analysis from qualitative data helped identify key areas that healthcare institutions can engage in to improve HCW well-being.
It is evident that resilience is influenced by many factors other than the individual alone. Even though the overall resilience scores are in the normal range, 11.3% of the HCW had low resilience level. It is thus important to initiate intervention to prevent and plan provision of care for future mental health issues for our HCW. The main stressors relate to family and personal safety. Positive attitudes at work, healthy and happy work environments, support and recognition from the department and hospital, are key factors keeping HCW happy and productive in the workplace.
Acknowledging and recognising the workplace burdens suffered by HCW is vital to establishing supportive workforce resources during an infectious disease outbreak.