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

During 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. One 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. A 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%). Our 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.