As the number of cases continues to rise, Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s psychiatrists, psychologists and medical social workers are ensuring its ...
SINGAPORE: It was a Saturday evening in late February and Dr Gareth Lim was at home, scrolling YouTube mindlessly. Out of the blue, he received something on his phone that made him jolt off his couch. A text message.
“There's always that fear of, what if I didn't wash enough? What if I didn't put the PPE on properly or what if I have contact with patients unknowingly?”By mid-March, the World Health Organisation said that COVID-19 could be characterised as aDr Lim, while coping with a high level of stress at NCID, found himself “doing little things” that he usually would not do.
Employees at Singapore's National Centre for Infectious Diseases putting on protective gear before carrying out testing for the novel coronavirus.The earliest signs of psychological distress would include burnout, which could manifest in the form of feelings of “helplessness and low accomplishment”. “We learnt from SARS that healthcare workers can experience symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder from working in the frontlines,” said Dr Lim Wen Phei.
“Be prepared to get really warm in the PPE! I wore the PPE for three hours and I was soaked in sweat right down to my undergarments. But everyone understands it’s for our own protection.” “This helps to allay fear and anxiety in whatever capacity possible. The concept of the toolkit is to be practical and applicable.”“It had tips on techniques to prevent burnout and how to practice self-care,” he said. “These were helpful reminders along the way - to take a deep breath and remember to spend time doing other things if I’m getting too stressed.”Another morale-booster for staff is the 3S Helpline, which exists to help them through personal crises.
“For some of them, maybe in this period, they need a little bit more help than usual. We will then do a formal referral for them to see a psychiatrist or psychologist.”While Dr Gareth Lim’s one and half month long deployment at NCID’s general ward and ICU was shorter than his residency rotations, the warmth and camaraderie of his colleagues there left a lasting impression on him.
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