University of Malaya, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Paediatric Surgery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
University of Malaya Medical Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Paediatric Surgery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Med J Malaysia. 2021 May;76(3):284-290.
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has dramatically affected global healthcare systems. We aimed to determine the response of our paediatric surgical fraternity to a disease that overwhelmingly affects adults.
We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study over 6 weeks during a federally mandated lockdown. Using snowball sampling, we recruited paediatric surgeons, trainees and medical officers from paediatric surgical units in Malaysia. The anonymous online questionnaire covered sociodemographic information, changes in patient care, redeployment, concerns regarding family members, and impact on training. Mental well-being was assessed using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Kruskal-Wallis, ANOVA and multiple regression analysis was used, with significance level 0.05.
Of the 129 eligible participants, 100(77%) responded. Junior doctors had clinically higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. Age <30 years was significantly associated with anxiety. Junior doctors believed that redeployment led to loss of surgical skills (p<0.001) and trainees felt that clinical application of knowledge had reduced (p<0.020).
Specific to our paediatric surgical community, this study highlights areas of concern, particularly among junior doctors. It is likely that recurrent cycles of the pandemic will occur soon. These issues must be addressed to preserve the mental and emotional well-being of all health care workers.
2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）极大地影响了全球医疗体系。我们旨在确定我们小儿外科学会对一种主要影响成年人的疾病的反应。
在联邦政府强制封锁期间，我们进行了为期 6 周的横断面基于问卷调查的研究。使用雪球抽样法，我们招募了来自马来西亚小儿外科单位的小儿外科医生、受训者和医务人员。匿名在线问卷涵盖了社会人口统计学信息、患者护理变化、重新部署、对家庭成员的担忧以及对培训的影响。使用抑郁、焦虑和压力量表（DASS-21）评估心理健康。使用 Kruskal-Wallis、ANOVA 和多元回归分析，显著性水平为 0.05。
在 129 名符合条件的参与者中，有 100 名（77%）做出了回应。初级医生在临床上有更高水平的抑郁、焦虑和压力。年龄<30 岁与焦虑显著相关。初级医生认为重新部署导致手术技能丧失（p<0.001），受训者认为知识的临床应用减少（p<0.020）。
具体到我们的小儿外科学会，这项研究强调了一些令人关注的领域，特别是在初级医生中。这种大流行很可能很快会再次发生。为了保护所有医护人员的身心健康，必须解决这些问题。
