Coping with difficulties faced in pre-hospital healthcare amid pandemics (original) (raw)
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Aim: COVID-19 pandemic has become one of the most critical health problems of the 21st century. Healthcare workers undoubtedly fulfil the most crucial task of combating this critical health problem all over the world. This study was carried out to determine the experiences of pre-hospital emergency healthcare workers during the COVID-19 process. Material and Method: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted on 204 healthcare workers working in Kayseri province, Turkey's pre-hospital emergency health services. Results: 50.5% of the participants were women, 69.1% were married, and the average age was 31.7 ± 5.8. 45.6% of them were working as an Emergency Medical Technician, and 85.8% were university graduates. 99.0% of the participants state that the workload had increased during the COVID-19 process. 42.2% of the participants had a coronavirus test and 27.9% of those who had the test had a positive test result. During the COVID-19 process, 14.7% of participants wer...
Challenges Faced by Emergency Healthcare Workers during Covid-19
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused increasing challenges for healthcare professionals globally. However, there is a dearth of information about these challenges in many developing countries. This study aims to explore the challenges faced by healthcare professionals during COVID-19. There has been minimal research into the role of HCWs and their experiences, as well as those of other staff working with HCWs in general practice. Lessons may be learned from their role and evidence of their effectiveness in hospital settings. Such research highlights blurred and contested role boundaries and threats to professional identity, which have implications for teamwork, quality of patient care, and patient safety. Drawing on the limited research in general practice, the challenges and benefits of developing the HCWs role in general practice are discussed. The findings highlight the common challenges faced by healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 outbreak. This implies the need to support adequate safety kits, protocols, and support for both physical and mental health of the healthcare professionals.
2023
Introduction: Across the globe, health care staffs on the frontlines of battle against COVID-19 faced a multifaceted challenges. The situation was more critical for resource constraint countries. Although, the concern was focused in providing protective devices and vaccination, it is more important to take account of mental health of the hospital staff. Therefore, this study was aimed to explore the experience of staff working in a tertiary level government hospital during the pandemic. Material and Methods: The study was conducted among 29 staffs of Bheri hospital, Nepalgunj. Data was collected from 23 to 25 July, 2022 through three focus group discussions using semi structured focus group discussion guideline. Qualitative content analysis method was used to analyze the data. Results: Content analysis of the data revealed the in-depth experiences of hospital staff i.e., from the initial stage of crisis and chaos to the final stage of acceptance and adaptation. Four main themes were generated: 1) crisis and fearful working environment; 2) impact on personal, family, social and professional life; 3) stage of acceptance and adjustment; 4) future recommendations. Conclusion: The whole story started with a journey from the stage of extreme fear, stress, feeling of threats, and anxiety to the final stage of acceptance and adaptation including feeling pride and satisfaction. Lack of knowledge about newly emerged disease and uncertainty of its prognosis was the reason behind intense fear among the hospital staffs. Therefore, the support to staffs including addressing the emotional wellbeing and mental health of healthcare staffs during any pandemic is very crucial.
Human Arenas, 2021
Different scholars have emphasised the psychological distress experienced by health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, there are almost no qualitative studies and we know very little about the everyday experience of this group. The present study's goal was to explore how health workers interpreted the meaning of the pandemic crisis in their life. An online survey was available during the Italian lockdown. Respondents were asked to write a passage about the meaning of living in the time of COVID-19. A total number of 130 questionnaires (M = 42.35; DS = 10.52; women: 56.2%) were collected. The Automated Method for Content Analysis (ACASM) procedure was applied to the collected texts to detect the factorial dimensions underpinning (dis)similarities in the respondents' narratives. Such factors were interpreted as the markers of latent dimensions of meanings (DS). The two main DS that emerged were characterised by the pertinentisation of two extremely basic issues: what the pandemic represents (health emergency versus personal crisis) and its impact (powerlessness versus discovery of new meanings). On the whole, health workers' narratives help to highlight the risk of normalising the feelings of fear and impotence experienced when facing the health emergency and the need to recognise that such feelings are strictly intertwined with the limited resources received to "face the battle"; the need to recognize the human vulnerability of the women and men "inside the lab coat" and the human effort to maintain or reconstruct a sense of self and purpose in the face of troubled circumstances.
Battle of Modern Heroes: Healthcare Provider’s Crisis Experiences During Covid-19 Pandemic
Indonesian Journal of Multidiciplinary Research
This paper aimed to describe the coronavirus experiences of the healthcare workers. Numerous studies showed the experiences of healthcare workers during the pandemic, but no information is available on the overall experience. The novelties of this study are the overall experiences and the perception of the healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used a screening tool to determine the suitable participants with an emphasis on the length of their work hours during the pandemic. The interview was conducted online, and the screening tool form was sent to the participant's online messaging account. The result showed the experiences and perspectives of health workers during the pandemic, especially the challenges, difficulties, and changes in work functioning and environment. They also noted the difficulties in their work and personal life. It also showed their weaknesses and threats to their personal life. There were also coping mechanisms and strategies to deal with the ...
Frontiers in Public Health, 2023
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the lack of a government contingency plan for an effective response to an unexpected health crisis. This study uses a phenomenological approach to explore the experience of healthcare professionals during the first three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in a public health hospital in the Valencia region, Spain. It assesses the impact on their health, coping strategies, institutional support, organizational changes, quality of care, and lessons learned. Methods: We carried out a qualitative study with semi-structured interviews with doctors and nurses from the Preventive Medicine, Emergency, and Internal Medicine Services and the Intensive Care Unit, using the Colaizzi's 7-step data analysis method. Results: During the first wave, lack of information and leadership led to feelings of uncertainty, fear of infection, and transmission to family members. Continuous organizational changes and lack of material and human resources brought limited results. The lack of space to accommodate patients, along with insufficient training in treating critical patients, and the frequent moving around of healthcare workers, reduced the quality of care. Despite the high levels of emotional stress reported, no sick leave was taken; the high levels of commitment and professional vocation helped in adapting to the intense work rhythms. Healthcare professionals in the medical services and support units reported higher levels of stress, and a greater sense of neglect by their institution than their colleagues in managerial roles. Family, social support, and camaraderie at work were effective coping strategies. Health professionals showed a strong collective spirit and sense of solidarity. This helped them cope with the additional stress and workload that accompanied the pandemic. Conclusion: In the wake of this experience, they highlight the need for a contingency plan adapted to each organizational context. Such a plan should include psychological counseling and continuous training in critical patient care. Above all, it needs to take advantage of the hard-won knowledge born of the COVID-19 pandemic.
PLOS ONE
Introduction Healthcare providers represent a limited resource, and their mental health is crucial for patient care and for ensuring containment of the pandemics. We aimed to explore how healthcare workers experienced the preparedness period of COVID-19 pandemic, in order to ascertain the perceived weaknesses and strengths. Methods Interviews were conducted with 17 participants encompassing senior physicians, residents, and nurses. They were audio-recorded, and the transcription was verbatim. We used thematic analysis. Results We identified four themes, with subsequent subthemes: dealing with the unknown, human versus doctors, sense of helplessness, and a bridge to heaven, which explore how healthcare workers experienced the lack of knowledge, their feeling of losing control, and how they managed their internal fights. The disappointment provoked by the authorities and their colleagues was further evaluated. We identified factors involved in their well-being. Conclusions COVID-19 pa...
Effect of COVID-19 on Emergency Service Workers
Eurasian Journal of Critical Care
Introduction: Healthcare professionals have been of the fight against the pandemic, continued for more than a year. The anxiety levels of healthcare workers due to increased workload, social isolation, fear of catching COVID-19, etc. have increased significantly. The aim of this study is to determine the anxiety levels of emergency service workers who are always at the forefront of the fighting against the pandemic in Turkey. Methods: A questionnaire containing demographic information and the questions of 2 different scales (generalized anxiety disorder-7 scale, coronavirus anxiety scale), whose validation and reliability were performed in Turkey, was delivered via the web to the emergency room workers. Results: Personnel working in the emergency service of a tertiary state hospital, 74% were reached. On the generalized anxiety scale, 53% of the participants received a score of 11 or above (severe anxiety). While the mean values of the generalized anxiety scale in the income and edu...
How Do Hospital Staff Cope with Covid-19 at Work? A Phenomenological Study
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