Abstract
SummaryBackgroundIn the early stages of the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Hubei, China, the local health-care system was overwhelmed. Physicians and nurses who had no infectious disease expertise were recruited to provide care to patients with COVID-19. To our knowledge, no studies on their experiences of combating COVID-19 have been published. We aimed to describe the experiences of these health-care providers in the early stages of the outbreak.MethodsWe did a qualitative study using an empirical phenomenological approach. Nurses and physicians were recruited from five COVID-19-designated hospitals in Hubei province using purposive and snowball sampling. They participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews by telephone from Feb 10 to Feb 15, 2020. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using Haase's adaptation of Colaizzi's phenomenological method.FindingsWe recruited nine nurses and four physicians. Three theme categories emerged from data analysis. The first was “being fully responsible for patients' wellbeing—‘this is my duty’”. Health-care providers volunteered and tried their best to provide care for patients. Nurses had a crucial role in providing intensive care and assisting with activities of daily living. The second category was “challenges of working on COVID-19 wards”. Health-care providers were challenged by working in a totally new context, exhaustion due to heavy workloads and protective gear, the fear of becoming infected and infecting others, feeling powerless to handle patients' conditions, and managing relationships in this stressful situation. The third category was “resilience amid challenges”. Health-care providers identified many sources of social support and used self-management strategies to cope with the situation. They also achieved transcendence from this unique experience.InterpretationThe intensive work drained health-care providers physically and emotionally. Health-care providers showed their resilience and the spirit of professional dedication to overcome difficulties. Comprehensive support should be provided to safeguard the wellbeing of health-care providers. Regular and intensive training for all health-care providers is necessary to promote preparedness and efficacy in crisis management.FundingNational Key R&D Program of China, Project of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education in China.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rapidly spreading worldwide
When fever clinics and respiratory and infectious disease units in Wuhan were overwhelmed by the increasing number of suspected and confirmed cases in the early stages of the outbreak, general wards were quickly modified into isolation wards, and health-care providers who did not have infectious disease expertise stepped up to provide care for patients with COVID-19
As the epidemic progressed in Hubei province, more local health-care providers joined the epidemic control efforts, and 42 000 health-care providers from across China came to Hubei to support them.[3]
Summary
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rapidly spreading worldwide. As of April 22, 2020, there have been 2 471 136 confirmed cases worldwide, with 169 006 deaths;[1 82 798] confirmed cases and 4632 deaths have been reported in mainland China.[2]. Health-care providers are vital resources for every country Their health and safety are crucial for continuous and safe patient care, and for control of any outbreak.[4] health-care providers caring for patients during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreaks were under extraordinary stress related to high risk of infection, stigmatisation, understaffing, and uncertainty, and comprehensive support was a high priority during the outbreaks and afterwards.[5,6] Quantitative studies have shown that frontline healthcare providers treating patients with COVID-19 have greater risks of mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, and stress.[7] Frontline physicians and nurses who had no infectious disease expertise had additional challenges when they adjusted to an entirely new working environment in this stressful situation.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
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 call
