Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41396291›Full record

ArticleSingapore medical journal2025

Burnout among COVID-19 hospital-based contact tracers in Singapore: results of a mixed-method, cross-sectional multicentre study.

Ian Matthias Ng, Tzu-Jung Wong, Yong Yang, Indumathi Venkatachalam, Jean Xiang Ying Sim, Liang En Wee, Tau Ming Liew, Evelyn Boon, Tong Yong Ng, Hwi Kwang Han and 1 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Singapore medical journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Ian Matthias NgDepartment of Psychiatry, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
Tzu-Jung WongDepartment of Infection Prevention and Epidemiology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
Yong YangDepartment of Infection Prevention and Epidemiology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
Indumathi VenkatachalamDepartment of Infection Prevention and Epidemiology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
Jean Xiang Ying SimDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
Liang En WeeDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
Tau Ming LiewDepartment of Psychiatry, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
Evelyn BoonDepartment of Psychology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
Tong Yong NgDepartment of Pathology, Sengkang General Hospital, Singapore.
Hwi Kwang HanDepartment of Epidemiology, Sengkang General Hospital, Singapore.
Diana Yuen Lan TanClinical Services, Changi General Hospital, Singapore.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionDuring 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.

methodsOne 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.

resultsA 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%).

conclusionOur 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.

Indexed as

Burnout, ProfessionalContact TracingCOVID-19AdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsPrevalenceRisk FactorsSARS-CoV-2SingaporeSurveys and QuestionnairesBurnoutcontact tracingCopenhagen Burnout InventoryCOVID-19healthcare workers

Identifiers

PMID41396291
PMCPMC12747446

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LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.