COVID-19 Patients' Experiences during the Pandemic: A Phenomenology Study

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic caught the world community off guard, with irreversible effects, causing numerous hospitalizations and deaths across the globe. Understanding COVID-19 patients' lived experience is crucial to care assessment. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the experiences of COVID-19 patients before, during, and after hospitalization. Methods: The present study employed a phenomenological method, and purposive sampling was used to select participants. The individuals discharged from COVID-19 treatment in the upper southern region of Thailand were recruited to participate. Data were collected through in-depth interviews conducted by telephone, LINE, and face-to-face from July 1 to September 14, 2020. Results: The study included a total of eight participants selected from seven provinces located in the southern region of Thailand. The mean age of the participants was 42 years, and the mean duration of hospitalization was 22 days, with 62.5% of them having underlying illnesses. The patients' experiences were categorized into 14 distinct sub-themes, corresponding to the various stages of pre-hospitalization, throughout hospitalization, and post-hospitalization. The pre-infection lifestyles of the participants indicated a lack of understanding and misunderstanding regarding COVID-19. This study found that the participants had more fear, depression, and suicidal thoughts during hospitalization. Nevertheless, the participants unequivocally affirmed that the nurse-patient interaction, in terms of providing assistance and addressing mental health concerns, brought them a sense of solace. However, they encountered rejection from their community after being discharged from the hospital. Conclusion:COVID-19 survivors must remain confident in their ability to continue life and believe that they made the right choice by accepting hospital care to save their own lives and prevent the spread of the disease. Healthcare practitioners and stakeholders within the healthcare service system can utilize this knowledge of patients' experiences to assist patients in the prevention, treatment, and management of COVID-19. Doi: 10.28991/HEF-2024-05-01-04 Full Text: PDF

Keywords

• patient’s experience
• covid-19
• hospitalization
• phenomenology
• thailand.