Risk Management and Healthcare Policy (Jul 2020)
Health Professionals’ Perception of Psychological Safety in Patients with Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Abstract
Fateme Mohammadi,1 Mojtaba Farjam,2 Yousef Gholampour,2 Banafsheh Tehranineshat,3 Khodayar Oshvandi,4 Mostafa Bijani5 1Chronic Diseases (Home Care) Research Center and Autism Spectrum Disorders Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Department of Nursing, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; 2Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center (NCDRC), Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran; 3Community-Based Psychiatric Care Research Center, Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; 4Mother and Child Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; 5Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, IranCorrespondence: Mostafa BijaniDepartment of Medical Surgical Nursing, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa 81936-13119, IranTel +98 9173308451Email [email protected]: Medical personnel act as the protectors of people’s health by preventing, controlling, and treating emerging diseases, including the coronavirus infection. COVID-19 is a highly infectious and contagious disease which has presented the Iranian healthcare system with a variety of clinical challenges. There is a lack of research on clinical challenges in health crises especially those caused by emerging diseases, hence a need for more exploration of these clinical challenges and dilemmas. The present study aims to determine the different aspects of health professionals’ perception of the psychological safety of patients infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19).Methods: The present study is a qualitative work which uses conventional content analysis. The participants were 17 health professionals who were responsible for COVID-19 patients and met the inclusion criteria. They were selected via purposeful sampling. The study lasted from February to March 2020. Data were collected through semi-structured, individual interviews which were conducted via video call. The collection of data was kept up to the point of saturation. The collected data were analyzed using the conventional content analysis method.Results: Three themes such as “respect for dignity”, “comprehensive support” and “peaceful environment” with 11 categories were extracted from the findings of the study.Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, patients infected with the coronavirus should be given care in a peaceful environment where they receive comprehensive support and have their dignity respected. Such conditions can guarantee the psychological safety of these patients and produce positive behavioral results on their part. Thus, it is essential that the cultural, professional, and organizational prerequisites of protecting all the dimensions of the psychological safety of these patients be provided.Keywords: Patient Safety, Safety Management, medical personnel, emerging diseases, coronavirus, qualitative research
