Lived Experience of Nurses in COVID-19 Units - A Phenomenological Study from Eastern India

Exploring the Midwives' Experiences of Providing Delivery Care for Women with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 Infection: A Qualitative Study

Introduction

Midwives were at the forefront of caring for pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore, the present study was conducted with the purpose of exploring midwives' experiences of providing delivery care for women with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection.

Methods

In this qualitative study, 18 midwives working in the public hospitals affiliated with Guilan University of Medical Sciences (Iran). Who had experience in providing delivery care to women with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection were selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected via individual semi-structured interviews until reaching data saturation, and analyzed through conventional content analysis.

Results

Data analysis led to the extraction of three main categories and six sub-categories. The main categories included "COVID-19 and organizational support" with two sub-categories including lack of resources/neglecting the role of midwives, "COVID-19 and positive achievements" with two sub-categories including professional resilience/turning threats into opportunities, "COVID-19 and informational support" with two sub-categories, including up-to-date training/empowering pregnant women.

Conclusion

According to the findings, to realize and guarantee the provision of high-quality maternity care to pregnant women in dealing with epidemic diseases such as COVID-19 in the future, the attention of policymakers and healthcare service officials to the physical and psychological needs of midwives is necessary. Also, organizational and informational support, improving job satisfaction, and paying attention to the importance of midwives' role in the medical team are recommended. Moreover, empowering pregnant women during epidemic diseases is essential.

Exploring Psychological Consequences of COVID-19 Pandemic on Nurses Caring Patients with COVID-19: A Qualitative Study

Introduction

COVID-19 is a new disease infecting a large number of people, and undoubtedly have psychological impacts on healthcare workers. Among healthcare staff, nurses are the most involved ones in fighting against COVID-19. Therefore, this study aimed to explore nurses' experiences of psychological consequences during caring patients with COVID-19.

Methods

The present qualitative study was conducted using the conventional content analysis approach (Graneheim and Lundman) Iran. Participants in this study included 15 nurses working with patients with COVID-19, selected by purposive sampling. Data were collected using in-depth interviews. The rigor of data was assessed using the criteria proposed by Guba and Lincoln.

Results

Nurses reported the four following psychological consequences of COVID-19 pandemic on caring patients with COVID-19: post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, physical exhaustion, and aggressive behaviors.

Conclusion

The data showed that nurses experienced a variety of psychological consequences during caring patients with COVID-19. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor nurses' psychological problems and implement interventions to improve their mental health.

Lived Experiences of the Patients with COVID-19: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic is a considerable challenge for infected patients who require more attention for recovery. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the lived experience of patients with COVID-19. Methods: This qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenological study was conducted in the southeast of Iran from March to May 2020. The data were purposefully collected from 16 patients with COVID-19. Data were collected using in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews and analyzed using the Van Manen method. Results: The lived experiences of patients were categorized into five themes, including incredible clinical symptoms of COVID-19, horror and stigma, bad memories of hospitalization, trust in God and hope as recovery agents from COVID-19, and reborn after recovery from COVID-19. Conclusion: Patients with COVID-19 have experienced variety of physical and psychosocial challenges. Health care providers have to supply appropriate strategies to fulfill the infected patients needs in such a crisis.