Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many new problems and challenges for medical personnel, patients and their families. The present study aimed to learn the difficulties and expectations of patients hospitalized for COVID-19. A descriptive qualitative research approach was adopted, and the study was carried out using semi-structured telephone interviews with 20 patients according to Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines. Two main themes were extracted from the experiences related by patients hospitalized for COVID-19: difficulties resulting from their poor health condition and difficulties resulting from hospital conditions and safety protocols. The patients’ expectations referred to professionalism and family members’ support. From the patient’s perspective, a sense of humor in the care provider is important, apart from professionalism and the effectiveness of treatment, because humor helps the patient endure difficult situations. The findings indicate that patients hospitalized for COVID-19 experienced both positive and negative emotions. Their negative experiences concerned organizational barriers and medical personnel shortages, especially of clinical nurses. Patients’ expectations are realistic and appropriate to the situation they are in. Learning the difficulties and expectations of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 may help care providers cope with this disease more effectively and ensure better care for patients, including nursing and psychological services.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many new problems and challenges for medical personnel as well as for patients and their families
Previous research results show that the psychological experiences of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 included fear, denial and stigma, and the main sources of stress were the viral character of the disease, quarantine, and concerns about the health of their family members [1]
Analyzing patients’ responses concerning the most difficult situations during their hospitalization, we determined two main categories, i.e., difficulties resulting from their poor health condition, and difficulties resulting from hospital conditions and safety protocols (Table 2)
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many new problems and challenges for medical personnel as well as for patients and their families. Previous research results show that the psychological experiences of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 included fear, denial and stigma, and the main sources of stress were the viral character of the disease, quarantine, and concerns about the health of their family members [1]. COVID-19 experience negative emotions after discharge from hospital, a need for social and psychological support, and many fears connected with their return to functioning in society [2]. Hospitalized patients experience loneliness, which calls for compassion and empathy from medical personnel [3]. According to data compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO), from the beginning of the pandemic until the end of August 2021 there were 2,888,670 cases of COVID-19 and
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International journal of environmental research and public health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
