Feelings, Thoughts and Experiences of Healthcare Professionals Who Recovered after Being Diagnosed with COVID-19, a Phenomenological Study.

BACKGROUND

It is very important to protect the physical, mental and social health of healthcare workers who are at risk, are faced with a difficult pandemic process, and have been infected with the disease. In previous studies, the thoughts of healthcare professionals who gave care to coronavirus patients were investigated. The present study is the first study in which experiences and thoughts of healthcare professionals who had coronavirus disease were investigated, and unlike other studies, data were collected through one-to-one, face-to-face interviews. This study was conducted to determine the feelings, thoughts and experiences of healthcare professionals who recovered after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

SUBJECTS AND

METHODS

This qualitative study was designed based on Husserlian's phenomenological approach. The participants were selected from healthcare professionals receiving COVID-19 treatment through the purposive sampling method. The interviews were held between September 2020 and February 2021. Colaizzi's qualitative analysis method was used.

RESULTS

After the analysis of the interviews, three themes and seven sub-themes emerged. The theme "fear" has three sub-themes: "fear of the unknown", "fear of being infected again" and "fear of transmitting the disease". The theme "social isolation" has two sub-themes: "Unhappiness" and "stigma". Finally, the theme "lack of motivation" has two sub-themes: "excessive workload" and "Inadequate number of employees".

CONCLUSIONS

In order to help healthcare workers manage these psychosocial problems they experience, managers should make appropriate planning and should give them psychosocial support. It is recommended that the criteria regarding healthcare professionals' starting work again after they survive the COVID-19 should be reviewed and revised. In particular, healthcare workers who survive illness but cannot fully recover should be evaluated physically and psychologically before going back to work.