Fatigue among medical doctors in the post Covid-19 period: a multicenter study from Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

Introduction: During Covid-19 pandemic, fatigue is one of the common symptom, which adversely affects the working capability and quality of life.
Objective: To determine the frequency of fatigue among medical doctors in the post Covid-19 period.
Materials & Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2021 to December 2021 among medical doctors who recovered from Covid-19 & were working in Children’s Hospital, General Hospital, Fatima Memorial Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, and Services Hospital, Lahore. Non probability convenience sampling was used to collect data from male and female participants after obtaining informed consent. Fatigue Assessment Scale was used to analyse the Post Covid-19 fatigue among doctors. Data were analyzed for descriptive statistics by SPSS; t-test and chi-square test were applied, keeping p≤0.05 as significant.
Results: Fatigue was recorded in 70% of the participants. Out of 340 participants, frequency of fatigue was high among females 138(40%) and males 103(30%); however, the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.147). A positive correlation was found between age and total fatigue scores.
Conclusion: Post Covid-19 fatigue was frequent in front line medical doctors, which may adversely affect the health and quality of life of participants which needed to be addressed.