“This is really like waiting for war and this is not good” – Intertwining between pandemic experiences, and the development of professional action of healthcare professionals in critical care at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: a qualitative study

Hoerold, Madlen; Drewitz, Karl Philipp; Brunnthaler, Vreni; Piel, Julia; Rohr, Magdalena; Hrudey, Ilona; Hasenpusch, Claudia; Ulrich, Angela; Otto, Niklas; Brandstetter, Susanne; Apfelbacher, Christian

doi:10.1101/2021.01.29.21250626

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(28 reference statements)

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“…[23][24][25][26][27][28] However, there are limited qualitative data describing the drivers of distress. [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37] The aim of this study was to describe the drivers of distress and motivation with the goals of informing local and national strategies to reduce avoidable distress in interdisciplinary clinicians on the frontline of COVID-19.…”

Section: Open Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frontline interdisciplinary clinician perspectives on caring for patients with COVID-19: a qualitative study

et al. 2021

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ObjectiveTo describe the drivers of distress and motivations faced by interdisciplinary clinicians who were on the frontline caring for patients with COVID-19.Design50 semistructured interviews. Transcripts were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis.SettingA safety-net hospital in Denver, Colorado.ParticipantsInterdisciplinary frontline clinicians including physicians, advance practice providers, nurses, respiratory therapists and paramedics providing inpatient hospital care to patients hospitalised for COVID-19.ResultsFifty clinicians (32 women and 18 men) participated. Five themes with respective subthemes (in parentheses) were identified: depersonalisation and barriers to care (impeding rapport and compassion, focusing on infection risk at the expense of high-quality care, grief from witnessing patients suffer in isolation), powerless in uncertainty (inescapable awareness of personal risk, therapeutic doubt in a void of evidence, confronting ethical dilemmas, struggling with dynamic and unfamiliar challenges), overwhelmed and exhausted (burden of personal protective equipment (PPE), information overload and confusion, overstretched by additional responsibilities at work, compounded by personal life stressors, feeling vulnerable and dispensable, compassion fatigue, distress from the disproportionate impact on socially oppressed communities), bolstering morale and confidence (motivated by community and family support, equipped with data), and driven by moral duty (responsibility to patient care and community, collegial solidarity and collaboration, contributing to the greater good).ConclusionFrontline clinicians reported distress due to the challenges of PPE, uncertainty and powerlessness, new responsibilities at work and home, losing control of their schedules, grief from witnessing patients suffer in isolation and witnessing healthcare disparities exacerbated by this pandemic. Clinicians feel supported by their colleagues, families, and community and were driven by a sense of moral duty. Healthcare system should adopt strategies to minimise distress faced by interdisciplinary clinicians on the frontline of COVID-19.

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Section: Open Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frontline interdisciplinary clinician perspectives on caring for patients with COVID-19: a qualitative study

et al. 2021

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“…According to Rouvalis (2020), other healthcare systems have paid for dorm and hotel rooms and set up food shopping services and daycare. In addition to the mental health strains associated with COVID-19, the consistent call for the availability of PPE has been acknowledged throughout the research published thus far, and also in this study, suggesting that not only the provision of PPE but also the protocols for using PPE need to be available, accessible, and consistently updated (Hoernke et al, 2021;Horold et al, 2021;Nagesh and Chakraborty, 2020;Tan et al, 2020).…”

Section: Information and Communication Needsmentioning

confidence: 56%

“…, 2020; San Juan et al ., 2021; Vizheh et al. , 2020), as well as researchers who, following this needs assessment research, have since studied the psychological experiences of healthcare providers navigating this crisis (De Leo et al , 2021; Hoernke et al , 2021; Horold et al , 2021; Monjazebi et al. , 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Listening and learning from the COVID-19 frontline in one US healthcare system

Cumberland

Ellinger

Deckard

2021

IJWHM

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PurposeThe on-going COVID-19 pandemic has drastically impacted healthcare systems worldwide. Understanding the perspectives and insights of frontline healthcare workers caring for and interacting with patients with COVID-19 represents a timely, topical, and important area of research. The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to assist one US healthcare system that has an expansive footprint with the implementation of a needs assessment among its frontline healthcare workers. The leadership within this healthcare system wanted to obtain a deeper understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic was impacting the personal and professional lives of its workers. Further, the organisation wanted to solicit employees’ feedback about what they needed, understand the issues they were facing, and solicit their ideas to help the organisation know where to take action.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative research employed 45 focus groups, referred to as virtual listening calls (LCs) in this organisation, which were held over a four-week period. A total of 241 nursing staff, representing healthcare facilities across the country, attended 26 of the LCs. A total of 19 LCs were held with 116 healthcare workers who are employed in other clinical roles (e.g. therapists) or administrative functions.FindingsExtending beyond the available research at the time, this study was initiated from within a US healthcare system and informed by the frontline healthcare employees who participated in the LCs, the findings of this study include the perspectives of both nursing and other healthcare workers, the latter of which have not received considerable attention. The findings underscore that the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the personal and professional lives of all of these healthcare workers and has exacted an emotional toll as noted in other studies. However, this study also highlights the importance of listening to employees’ concerns, but more importantly, their recommendations for improving their experiences. Notably, the organisation is in the midst of making changes to address these frontline workers’ needs.Originality/valueThe study, inclusive of nursing and other healthcare staff, demonstrates how an organisation can adapt to a crisis by listening and learning from its frontline employees.

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“This is really like waiting for war and this is not good” – Intertwining between pandemic experiences, and the development of professional action of healthcare professionals in critical care at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: a qualitative study

Cited by 2 publications

References 29 publications

Frontline interdisciplinary clinician perspectives on caring for patients with COVID-19: a qualitative study

Frontline interdisciplinary clinician perspectives on caring for patients with COVID-19: a qualitative study

Listening and learning from the COVID-19 frontline in one US healthcare system

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