In Singapore, the H1N1 outbreak lasted 108 days. The study emergency department (ED) was designated as Singapore's H1N1 screening centre for the borders and the country's primary care centers. Our aim was to determine the psychological morbidity among ED physicians, nurses, administrative and ancillary staff during the H1N1 outbreak.

We conducted a survey on all ED healthcare worker (n = 305) using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The bimodal scoring of GHQ-12 was dichotomised into non-cases (score 0 – 2) and potential cases (score ≥ 3). Participation was strictly voluntary.

The overall response rate was 273 (89.5%). Most respondents were females (73.3%); the mean age was 33 (SD 10.6) years. The mean GHQ score was found to be 1.9 (SD 2.7) with no gender-related differences. A comparison of the dichotomised GHQ-12 scores, found psychological morbidity to be more common in administrative staff (40%) and physicians (38.1%) than ancillary (24.2%) and nurses (19%) (p = 0.011). The average prevalence of psychological morbidity among ED staff was 25.3%. When we considered the 12 items of the GHQ separately and analyzed them by occupational group, we found physicians scoring the worst on item 6 - “Could not overcome difficulties” - than nurses, administrative and ancillary staff (p < 0.001). Physicians and administrative staff alike felt constantly under strain and were unable to concentrate compared to nurses and ancillary staff (p = 0.001).

Healthcare workers in an emergency setting unlike those in the rest of the hospital, face a wide range of risks on the job and this has a substantial effect on their mental well-being and job satisfaction.