The experiences of patients with COVID-19 and their relatives from receiving professional home care nursing: a qualitative content analysis

Abstract

Background To overcome of patients with COVID-19 over the capacity of hospitals and mild to moderate severity of the disease in most cases, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, recommend home care for these patients. Receiving care at home will face challenges that can be context-based, especially in crises like the Coronavirus pandemic. The present study aimed to describe the experiences of patients with COVID-19 and their relatives from receiving professional home care nursing. Methods This study was conducted using a qualitative content analysis method. Nine participants with COVID-19 who were receiving home care nursing in Semnan participated in this study. The purposive sampling method was used. Sampling continued until no new categories appeared, meaning the category’s theoretical saturation. Deep and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data based on the research question. Data was analyzed using the conventional content analysis method using Graneheim and Lundman’s approach. Results After analyzing the interviews and comparing codes based on similarities and differences, three main themes, 11 categories, and 30 subcategories were identified. The main themes included “The value of home care” (personalization of care, being economical, providing intellectual security, and reducing the concern of family), “Comprehensive care” (professional commitment, empathy, mastery in care, and patronage), and “Care challenges” (cultural barriers, inadequate services, and lack of information about costs and conditions). Conclusion The patients with COVID-19 who received professional nursing care at home mentioned some challenges, such as the caregiver not being of the same sex as the patient, delay in receiving the service, the inadequacy of the centers, the limitation of the right to choose the care provider, and insufficient information about the cost of services received before receiving each care.