Singapore’s frontliners left with unmet needs during COVID-19

Healthcare workers (HCWs) in Singapore suffer from several unmet needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, including physical, safety, and self-actualization needs, according to a new study.

“Despite significant advances in the field of medicine, the dangers posed by emerging infectious diseases are amplified in today’s increasingly interconnected world. In the face of a pandemic, HCWs are asked to face increased risks and demands with fewer resources,” the researchers said.

“Healthcare organizations and governmental bodies must recognize and support the needs of HCWs to protect their well-being, as well as motivate them to work through such crises,” they added.

The descriptive and qualitative study surveyed 612 HCWs from a major public health cluster in Singapore. Open-ended questions were used to assess their experiences during the pandemic, and responses were synthesized through inductive content analysis. There was a strong predominance of women (80 percent) and nurses (60 percent) in the study sample, representative of the healthcare workforce composition in the country.

Five main themes emerged from the survey responses: physical needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. The researchers noted that these themes corresponded closely to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. [Am J Infect Control 2022;doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2022.06.004]

Respondents said that the pandemic increased the job’s demands for HCWs, often leading to heavier workloads and exhaustion. Many participants even said that employers could provide meals, snacks, and beverages because there was rarely enough time to go on breaks, or the situation prevented them from going out to eat meals.

Having to deal with heavier workloads and longer working hours, respondents also felt that they had insufficient time to rest and recharge, especially among those who had overnight duties. This also led to a general feeling that they were not being remunerated fairly, or that workload was not evenly distributed between senior and junior staff.

Meanwhile, given the risky nature of COVID-19 care, many respondents felt that employers generally did a good job of providing for their safety needs, with clear directives, effective protocols, and sufficient equipment. However, some respondents did express the desire for better psychological support.

In terms of live and belonging needs, many survey responses reflected the strong sense of isolation during the pandemic driven by social isolation directives and safety regulations. Participants suggested buddy systems, online support groups, or more cohesive workplaces as solutions to this problem.

Moreover, many HCWs felt that they should rightly receive gratitude, appreciation, or tangible rewards for their sacrifices and efforts during the pandemic. For example, participants said that such rewards could come in the form of tokens, incentives, pay raises, better benefits, or additional vacation days.

Finally, many participants gave responses that pointed to their need for growth or a need for problem-solving beyond their selves. For instance, some mentioned that they learned the value of having a positive mindset in order to tide through the crisis. Others, on the other hand, gained broader and systemic points-of-view and emphasized the importance of having better planning moving forward, drawing from the lessons of the current pandemic.

“Findings from this study unveiled a wide range of unmet needs faced by HCWs during the pandemic and provide an overview of the various areas of need which may help guide future research and development of interventions to mitigate the negative psychological impact of prolonged disease outbreaks,” the researchers said.