When health care workers became patients with COVID‐19: A qualitative study

Abstract

Aims This study aimed to describe the experiences of nurses and other health care workers who were infected with coronavirus disease 2019. Methods An empirical phenomenological approach was used. Sixteen participants were recruited in Wuhan using purposive and snowball sampling. Semistructured, in‐depth interviews were conducted by telephone in February 2020. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed following Colaizzi's method. Results Two themes emerged: (1) Intense emotional distress since becoming infected. Participants were fearful of spreading the virus to family and overwhelmed by a lack of information, experienced uncertainty and worried about treatment, felt lonely during isolation and reported moral distress about inadequate health care staffing. (2) Coping strategies were needed. They tried their best to address negative psychological reactions using their professional knowledge and gaining support from others and community resources. Conclusions Preparedness for catastrophic events and providing timely and accurate information are major considerations in government policy development, related to pandemics and adequacy of health care personnel. Mental health resources and support, both short‐ and long‐term should be anticipated for health care providers to alleviate their fear and anxiety.

Experiences of healthcare workers following occupational exposure to COVID‐19 at the early stages of the pandemic: A phenomenological qualitative study

“…The current findings were consistent with previous studies where the exposed HCWs reported increased levels of anxiety, depression and hostility (Chou et al, 2020;Maunder et al, 2006;Park & Park, 2020). Consistent with the qualitative findings among infected HCWs, the psychological distress mostly came from uncertainty towards the results of exposure (Du et al, 2022).…”

“…The current findings were consistent with previous studies where the exposed HCWs reported increased levels of anxiety, depression and hostility (Chou et al, 2020 ; Liu, Yang, et al, 2020 ; Maunder et al, 2006 ; Park & Park, 2020 ). Consistent with the qualitative findings among infected HCWs, the psychological distress mostly came from uncertainty towards the results of exposure (Du et al, 2022 ). These findings indicated that timely psychological assessment and interventions should be provided to the HCWs immediately after their occupational exposure.…”

Experiences and perspectives of nurses infected with COVID‐19: A qualitative systematic review and meta‐synthesis

“…Table 2 summarizes the included studies conducted mainly in China ( K = 6) (Chun et al, 2021; Dou et al, 2021; He et al, 2021; Jiang et al, 2022; Luo et al, 2022; Zhang et al, 2021), Turkey ( K = 4) (Özlük & Bikmaz, 2021; Ruveyde & Bulut, 2022; Savas et al, 2022; Topdemir et al, 2022), Iran ( K = 2) (Safiri et al, 2022; Shali et al, 2022), Italy ( K = 2) (Piredda et al, 2022; Simeone et al, 2022), Zimbabwe ( K = 1) (Moyo et al, 2022), Indonesia ( K = 1) (Siagian & Rantung, 2022), and the United Arab Emirates ( K = 1) (Khaled et al, 2022) between 2021 and 2022. These seventeen studies involved 271 nurses, predominantly female, and covered a wide age range.…”

“…These seventeen studies involved 271 nurses, predominantly female, and covered a wide age range. The sample was diverse in terms of work settings, including Emergency ( N = 12) (Dou et al, 2021; Luo et al, 2022; Özlük & Bikmaz, 2021; Zhang et al, 2021), ICU ( N = 9) (Luo et al, 2022; Özlük & Bikmaz, 2021; Simeone et al, 2022), Internal Medicine ( N = 7) (Dou et al, 2021; Luo et al, 2022; Zhang et al, 2021), Surgery ( N = 5) (Dou et al, 2021; Luo et al, 2022; Zhang et al, 2021), and Obstetrics and Gynecology ( N = 3) (Dou et al, 2021; Özlük & Bikmaz, 2021; Zhang et al, 2021).…”

Investigating stigma during the COVID-19 pandemic: Living conditions, social determinants and experiences of infection among employees at a tertiary referral cancer centre

“…Healthcare workers (HCWs), especially those who acquired COVID-19, have reported negative social reactions and various forms of stigmatization during the pandemic. [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] These reactions took several forms including avoidance, isolation and harassment. The aim of this study was to examine the living conditions, social determinants, and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic among employees who recovered from COVID-19 at a large tertiary referral cancer hospital in India, which was designated as a COVID-19 care centre for cancer patients.…”