The experience of Saudi respiratory therapists dealing with COVID-19 patients: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Healthcare professionals have fought hard to restrain the COVID-19 pandemic by providing high-quality care for their infected patients, but in doing so they have developed fears of becoming sick and feelings of isolation and loneliness. The lived experience of respiratory therapists (RTs) in Saudi Arabia who works with these infected patients needs further investigation. The study sought to describe the experiences and coping strategies of Saudi RT managing patients with COVID-19.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study utilized qualitative research methods, specifically employing a phenomenological research design. A total of 25 Saudi RT (RTs) who were in direct contact with COVID-19 patients were selected after they agreed to participate in this study. The study followed a one-on-one semi-structured interview process using the Zoom platform. This qualitative data collection technique focuses on the participants' lived experiences and feelings to discover shared patterns. The data were analyzed via an inductive approach.

RESULTS

Six themes were found in the RT perceptions including stress while treating COVID patients, managing the fear of catching of Covid 19, feelings towards COVID-19 patients, challenges faced by female RTs, workplace experiences, and excessive workload.

CONCLUSIONS

RTs feelings dramatically changed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. All the RTs have developed a self-copying style that has helped them improve their psychosocial behavior to face the pandemic. During the outbreak, frontline RTs' positive and negative emotions intertwined and coexisted. Negative emotions predominated in the beginning, while good feelings emerged gradually. Self-coping methods and psychosocial development were significant factors in RTs mental health while caring for COVID-19 patients.

The Impact of Diabetes Distress on the Glycemic Control Among Adolescents and Youth With Type 1 Diabetes in Two Tertiary Centers, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Introduction

Adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) experience multiple symptoms of diabetes distress including fear of acute complications such as severe hypoglycemia which may lead to permanent brain damage or death. They also experience fear of acute hyperglycemia that can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis as well as chronic complication including diabetic nephropathy and retinopathy. No previous research was conducted in Saudi Arabia to assess diabetes distress among adolescents and youth with T1D. This study aimed to assess diabetes distress in adolescents and youth with T1D and its relation to clinical characteristics, glycemic control and diabetes co-morbidities.

Methodology

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 158 patients at King Abdulaziz University Hospital and Dr. Erfan and Bagedo General Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Data about participants’ characters, episodes of DKA, last HbA1c level, diabetes co-morbidities were collected. Diabetes distress (DD) was assessed by the Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID) and Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS) scores.

Results

The prevalence of diabetes distress among our population of adolescents with T1D was 24.1%. The mean scores of PAID and DDS were 43.56 ± 13.84 and 2.22 ± 1.05, respectively. Patients with suboptimal HbA1c had significantly higher mean PAID and DDS scores. There is also a significant positive correlation between HbA1c level and number of ketoacidosis episodes. A highly significant positive correlation was found between PAID and DDS scores.

Conclusion

This study found that participants with uncontrolled HbA1c had significantly higher mean PAID and DDS scores with a significant positive correlation between the last HbA1c measured level and number of ketoacidosis attacks and PAID and DDS scores. Future studies on larger samples are needed to implement interventions to minimize the burden of diabetes distress among adolescents with T1D.