Journal of Qualitative Research in Health Sciences

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Inflammatory Lung Diseases Research Center, Department of Nursing, Zeynab (P.B.U.H) School of Nursing and Midwifery, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran

2 Inflammatory Lung Diseases Research Center, Department of Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti School of Nursing and Midwifery, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran

10.34172/jqr.2023.24

Abstract

Background: Healthcare providers in different countries have different experiences during epidemic conditions based on their nursing resources and healthcare systems and the cultural norms of the community. The present study aimed to explore the experiences of healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: This qualitative study was conducted on 36 medical personnel from eastern Guilan in the north of Iran. The participants were selected via purposive sampling. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The interviews continued until data saturation. Data analysis was performed using conventional content analysis, simultaneous with data collection.
Results: Data analysis revealed three main categories and 10 subcategories: peaceful coexistence (scientific-professional development, enhanced emotional proximity, and resilience in critical situations), the outburst of despair (exhaustion in clinical settings, annoying obsessions, ambivalent decision making, and excessive fear), and in the shadow of sorrow (the shadow of depression, painful public rejection, and in financial distress).
Conclusion: An analysis of the participants’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed three main themes: peaceful coexistence, the outburst of despair, and in the shadow of sorrow. Paying attention to the physical, psycho-social, emotional, and financial challenges and needs of healthcare providers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, is an undeniable necessity and requires the full attention and support of the authorities and the community.

Highlights

Faeze Kobrai-Abkenar (Google Scholar) (PubMed)

Parand Pourghane (Google Scholar) (PubMed)

Fatemeh Jafarzadeh-Kenarsari (Google Scholar) (PubMed)

Keywords

  1. Lu H, Nie P, Qian L. Do quarantine experiences and attitudes towards COVID-19 affect the distribution of mental health in China? A quantile regression analysis. Appl Res Qual Life. 2021;16(5):1925-42. doi: 1007/s11482-020-09851-0.
  2. World Health Organization (WHO). Rolling Updates on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). Switzerland: WHO; 2020. Available from: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/events-as-they-happen.
  3. Roy D, Tripathy S, Kar SK, Sharma N, Verma SK, Kaushal V. Study of knowledge, attitude, anxiety & perceived mental healthcare need in Indian population during COVID-19 pandemic. Asian J Psychiatr. 2020;51:102083. doi: 1016/j.ajp.2020.102083.
  4. Xing J, Sun N, Xu J, Geng S, Li Y. Study of the mental health status of medical personnel dealing with new coronavirus pneumonia. PLoS One. 2020;15(5):e0233145. doi: 1371/journal.pone.0233145.
  5. World Health Organization (WHO). Weekly Epidemiological Update on COVID-19. 119th ed. WHO; 2022.
  6. Lam SKK, Kwong EWY, Hung MSY, Pang SMC, Chiang VCL. Nurses’ preparedness for infectious disease outbreaks: a literature review and narrative synthesis of qualitative evidence. J Clin Nurs. 2018;27(7-8):e1244-e55. doi: 1111/jocn.14210.
  7. Adams JG, Walls RM. Supporting the health care workforce during the COVID-19 global epidemic. JAMA. 2020;323(15):1439-40. doi: 1001/jama.2020.3972.
  8. World Health Organization (WHO). Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak: Rights, Roles and Responsibilities of Health Workers, Including Key Considerations for Occupational Safety and Health: Interim Guidance. WHO; 2020. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/331510.
  9. Kang L, Ma S, Chen M, Yang J, Wang Y, Li R, et al. Impact on mental health and perceptions of psychological care among medical and nursing staff in Wuhan during the 2019 novel coronavirus disease outbreak: a cross-sectional study. Brain Behav Immun. 2020;87:11-7. doi: 1016/j.bbi.2020.03.028.
  10. Kim Y. Nurses’ experiences of care for patients with Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus in South Korea. Am J Infect Control. 2018;46(7):781-7. doi: 1016/j.ajic.2018.01.012.
  11. Dai Y, Hu G, Xiong H, Qiu H, Yuan X. Psychological impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak on healthcare providers in China. medRxiv [Preprint]. March 6, 2020. Available from: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.03.20030874v1.
  12. Wang H, Wang S, Yu K. COVID-19 infection epidemic: the medical management strategies in Heilongjiang province, China. Crit Care. 2020;24(1):107. doi: 1186/s13054-020-2832-8.
  13. Alsahafi AJ, Cheng AC. Knowledge, Attitudes and behaviours of healthcare providers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to MERS coronavirus and other emerging infectious diseases. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2016;13(12):1214. doi: 3390/ijerph13121214.
  14. Chen S, Xia M, Wen W, Cui L, Yang W, Liu S, et al. Mental health status and coping strategy of medical workers in China during the COVID-19 outbreak. medRxiv [Preprint]. March 7, 2020. Available from: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.23.20026872v2.
  15. Raven J, Wurie H, Witter S. Health workers’ experiences of coping with the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone’s health system: a qualitative study. BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):251. doi: 1186/s12913-018-3072-3.
  16. Kang HS, Son YD, Chae SM, Corte C. Working experiences of nurses during the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak. Int J Nurs Pract. 2018;24(5):e12664. doi: 1111/ijn.12664.
  17. Speziale HS, Streubert HJ, Carpenter DR. Qualitative Research in Nursing: Advancing the Humanistic Imperative. Wolters Kluwer Health, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2011.
  18. Graneheim UH, Lundman B. Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness. Nurse Educ Today. 2004;24(2):105-12. doi: 1016/j.nedt.2003.10.001.
  19. Magill E, Siegel Z, Pike KM. The mental health of frontline health care providers during pandemics: a rapid review of the literature. Psychiatr Serv. 2020;71(12):1260-9. doi: 1176/appi.ps.202000274.
  20. Bozdağ F, Ergün N. Psychological resilience of healthcare professionals during COVID-19 pandemic. Psychol Rep. 2021;124(6):2567-86. doi: 1177/0033294120965477.
  21. Alizadeh A, Khankeh HR, Barati M, Ahmadi Y, Hadian A, Azizi M. Psychological distress among Iranian health-care providers exposed to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a qualitative study. BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1):494. doi: 1186/s12888-020-02889-2.
  22. Liu Q, Luo D, Haase JE, Guo Q, Wang XQ, Liu S, et al. The experiences of health-care providers during the COVID-19 crisis in China: a qualitative study. Lancet Glob Health. 2020;8(6):e790-e8. doi: 1016/s2214-109x(20)30204-7.
  23. Dzau VJ, Kirch D, Nasca T. Preventing a parallel pandemic - a national strategy to protect clinicians’ well-being. N Engl J Med. 2020;383(6):513-5. doi: 1056/NEJMp2011027.
  24. Shamloo G, Mohammad Moradi A, Hosseini SB. Environmental factors affecting health-related quality of life: nurses’ narrative analysis. J Qual Res Health Sci. 2020;8(4):37-48. doi: 22062/jqr.2020.90989.
  25. Shahed-Haghghadam H, Fathi Ashtiani A, Rahnejat AM, Ahmadi Tahoor Soltani M, Taghva A, Ebrahimi MR, et al. Psychological consequences and interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic: narrative review. J Mar Med. 2020;2(1):1-11. doi: 30491/2.1.7. [Persian].
  26. AlAteeq DA, Aljhani S, Althiyabi I, Majzoub S. Mental health among healthcare providers during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Saudi Arabia. J Infect Public Health. 2020;13(10):1432-7. doi: 1016/j.jiph.2020.08.013.
  27. Saffari M, Vahedian-Azimi A, Mahmoudi H. Nurses’ experiences on self-protection when caring for COVID-19 patients. J Mil Med. 2020;22(6):570-9. doi: 30491/jmm.22.6.570. [Persian].