Table 1.
Summary of thematic findings on ‘impact on fatigue in surgeons’.
| Impact on Fatigue in Surgeons |
|---|
| - Increased |
| ○ Lack of adrenaline |
| “There isn't as much excitement or adrenaline for us as we don't have as much surgical work to do” (P15) |
| ○ Mundane tasks |
| “There is more routine mundane tasks like paperwork and research. There is a fatigue associated with boredom” (P15) |
| ○ Stress in dealing with the ‘unknown’ |
| “The unknown was more stressful than dealing with the known when it came to COVID positive patients” (P5) |
| ○ Dealing with new protocols |
| “We have different setups now and different type of management plans. More vigilance is required in work” (P5) |
| ○ Stress in dealing with future workloads |
| “Knowing that there are dozens of scopes, minor ops (sic) and day cases as well as cancer operations building up is stressful” (P4) |
| ○ Post-Viral Fatigue |
| “I had some post-COVID fatigue” (P15) |
| ○ PPE Use |
| “PPE can be exhausting by the end of the day because of dehydration” (P62) |
| - Reduced |
| ○ New work-rota models |
| “I feel less fatigued. We are working long hours but alternating days with our colleagues. There is more time to rest and work on research” (P4) |
| - Sleep patterns |
| ○ Harder to regulate circadian rhythm |
| “I am subject to an increased acute sleep deprivation when I'm in for 2 days in a row but then I sleep a lot more the days I'm off – it is harder to regulate my sleep hours now” (P64). |
| ○ Easier to regulate circadian rhythm |
| “I'm trying not to sleep in too late as I don't want to completely mess up my biological clock” (P15) |