Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study is to provide an in-depth understanding and description of the disease experiences of COVID-19 patients. The participants were 16 patients discharged from hospitals after receiving treatment for COVID-19 in isolation. Data collection was conducted through individual in-depth interviews until data saturation, and the interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s phenomenological method. The participants were quarantined after their COVID-19 diagnosis was confirmed, and they experienced desperate and uncertain times during treatment. The participants expressed shock and dissatisfaction due to an excessive invasion of privacy during the quarantine process and in the quarantine system. As confirmed COVID-19 cases, the participants experienced social stigma and feelings of guilt, negative attitudes from others and society, and negative influences from social networking services and the media. The participants also experienced mental and physical difficulties due to COVID-19 symptoms. However, they rediscovered meaningful relationships through the support of their family and friends in the midst of adversity. It is necessary to provide an integrated psychosocial rehabilitation program to reduce social stigma and improve the resilience of COVID-19 patients.
Highlights
With the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnoses and deaths increasing rapidly worldwide [1,2], COVID-19, which was declared a pandemic in March
A phenomenological study is a form of qualitative research, with its epistemological grounds based on phenomenology, and it allows for the exploration of individuals’ lived experiences through researchers’ phenomenological reduction examine the meaning and essential structure of these experiences
This study aims to understand the meanings and essence of the lived experiences of COVID-19 patients in one region in South Korea, from undergoing a screening test to receiving treatment in isolation and, returning to their normal lives
Summary
With the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnoses and deaths increasing rapidly worldwide [1,2], COVID-19, which was declared a pandemic in March2020 by the World Health Organization, has brought a tremendous amount of shock and changes to all aspects of societies worldwide—spanning from politics to economics—so much so that the time following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic is called the “post-COVID-19 era” [3,4]. With the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnoses and deaths increasing rapidly worldwide [1,2], COVID-19, which was declared a pandemic in March. In response to the increasing number of COVID-19 patients globally, many studies have examined their physical symptoms and changes in mental conditions [6,7,8,9]. COVID19 patients may experience physical symptoms such as fever, dyspnea, cough, and adverse drug reactions [6] as well as mental symptoms, such as fear of contracting the novel virus, loneliness, anger related to receiving treatment in isolation, and post-traumatic stress [6,7]. It has been reported that even if COVID-19 patients are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, they might experience fear of death or mental distress due to isolation [8]. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, various channels, such as mobile messengers and YouTube, frequently described the virus as being highly dangerous, with a poor prognosis [7], and public media coverage of COVID-19 intensified the public’s fear and anxiety [10]
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