Back to life: Is it possible to be myself again? A qualitative study with persons initially hospitalised due to COVID-19

Abstract

Objective: To gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of patients with COVID-19, regarding rehabilitation, work and social life 6 months after hospital discharge.Design: An explorative qualitative study with individual interviews.Subjects: Patients of working age with persistent self-reported symptoms at a 3-month follow-up who had received inpatient hospital care with discharge approximately 6 months previously were purposively sampled.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were performed with 10 men and 5 women. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed with inductive thematic analysis.Results: Four themes were identified: “Social support – crucial, but decreased over time”, “Varying needs of, and access to, rehabilitation”, “Returning to work after COVID-19 – crucial for future prospects” and “An overwhelming experience that essentially changed one’s personality”.Conclusion: Rehabilitation provided participants with the valuable tools for recovery, giving them hope for future recovery. Support from next of kin was highly valued, creating stronger family bonds. A new meaning and greater appreciation of life was expressed.

Figuring Out Life After Covid-19: a Qualitative Study From Sweden

“…During the year that followed being hospitalized due to COVID-19, participants had tried to maintain their former ways of living with varying degrees of success. Feelings of exhaustion and lack of energy were especially troublesome, which supports previous findings of continuing symptoms and their consequences due to severe COVID-19 ( 3 , 11 , 19 , 20 ).…”

“…In order to cope at work, participants expressed the importance of supportive employers and colleagues and their awareness of and willingness to adjust to situations related to the fatigue and other long-term symptoms after COVID-19. The need of support and having a constructive dialogue with employers and colleagues were highlighted as important during the return to work process in previous COVID-19 studies ( 11 , 23 , 24 ). During working life, participants were willing to push themselves and to give their all to successfully return to full-time employment, as described previously ( 11 ).…”

“…The need of support and having a constructive dialogue with employers and colleagues were highlighted as important during the return to work process in previous COVID-19 studies ( 11 , 23 , 24 ). During working life, participants were willing to push themselves and to give their all to successfully return to full-time employment, as described previously ( 11 ). In the return-to-work process, participants described having a dialogue with the primary care physician as key to making informed decisions on how to best proceed.…”

“…For people of working age, a COVID-19 infection often involves having to take sick-leave, sometimes for several months in people who have had more severe illness and thus received in-hospital care ( 10 ). Furthermore, the ability to return to work after long-term sick-leave due to severe COVID-19 infection has been described as a sign of a successful recovery ( 11 ). Return-to-work is of importance for daily life as it provides a social context and a feeling of getting back to life again, as opposed to being on sick-leave, which has been described as stressful ( 11 ).…”

“…Furthermore, the ability to return to work after long-term sick-leave due to severe COVID-19 infection has been described as a sign of a successful recovery ( 11 ). Return-to-work is of importance for daily life as it provides a social context and a feeling of getting back to life again, as opposed to being on sick-leave, which has been described as stressful ( 11 ).…”