Experience of Non-Infectious Disease Doctors Redeployed to COVID-19 Duties in a Tertiary Centre

Abstract

Objective: The global healthcare system was severely impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Healthcare professionals, especially doctors, faced a tremendous amount of responsibility irrespective of the specialty and levels of ex-perience. The majority of nations saw physicians from all medical specialties relocate to COVID-19 wards. Working outside of one's comfort zone would have a significant psychosocial impact, especially in a crisis like the pandemic. To describe the experience of noninfectious disease physicians redeployed to COVID-19 duties. Material(s) and Method(s): All noninfectious disease physicians who were redeployed to COVID-19 duties received a Google form with 25 questions. Using the Pearson chi-squared test and the Fisher exact test, the relationship between survey responses and working experience and department was investigated. Statistical threshold was set at p<0.05. Result(s): Out of 180 respondents, 114 completed the survey in total. Most of the participants were female (64.9%) aged between 31-40 years old (86.8%) with 64.9% having 5-10 years of working experience. During the redeployment, 57% of respondents reported experiencing psychological effects, and 73.7% felt underprepared. However, 71.1% said their assign-ment to COVID-19 wards was beneficial, and 38.4% were willing to receive redeployment. Conclusion(s): The results of the survey indicate that COVID-19 ward redeployment was successful because participants believed their participation was important and the lead team in the COVID-19 wards offered enough direction and assistance. Doctors are prepared to safely treat COVID-19 patients, thanks to the intensive crash course and their fundamental medical knowledge. Copyright © 2023 by Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine.