Back to life: Is it possible to be myself again? A qualitative study with persons initially hospitalised due to COVID-19.
2022 (English)In: Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, ISSN 1650-1977, E-ISSN 1651-2081, Vol. 54, article id jrm00327Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
OBJECTIVE: To gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of patients with COVID-19, regarding rehabilitation, work and social life 6 months after hospital discharge.
DESIGN: An explorative qualitative study with individual interviews.
SUBJECTS: Patients of working age with persistent self-reported symptoms at a 3-month follow-up who had received inpatient hospital care with discharge approximately 6 months previously were purposively sampled.
METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were performed with 10 men and 5 women. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed with inductive thematic analysis.
RESULTS: Four themes were identified: "Social support - crucial, but decreased over time", "Varying needs of, and access to, rehabilitation", "Returning to work after COVID-19 - crucial for future prospects" and "An overwhelming experience that essentially changed one's personality".
CONCLUSION: Rehabilitation provided participants with the valuable tools for recovery, giving them hope for future recovery. Support from next of kin was highly valued, creating stronger family bonds. A new meaning and greater appreciation of life was expressed.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2022. Vol. 54, article id jrm00327
Keywords [en]
persistent symptoms;COVID-19; qualitative research; coping strategies; inpatient; activities of daily living; follow-up study; lived experience; return to work; rehabilitation
National Category
Nursing
Research subject
NURSING AND PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCE, Nursing science
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hv:diva-19290DOI: 10.2340/jrm.v54.2742ISI: 000855144600001PubMedID: 35976766Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85138126030OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hv-19290DiVA, id: diva2:1720006
Note
This study was funded by grants from the Swedish government under an agreement between the Swedish government and the county councils (ALF 73750, ALFGBG-942914), Forte/Formas (2020-02775), Vastragotaland regional research funding (VGFOUREG-940508, VGFOUREG-969267), the Sahlgrenska University Hospital research funds (SU-961051).
CC-BY 4.0
2022-12-162022-12-162022-12-16