University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Carol Davila", Bucharest, Romania.
Department of Internal Medicine, Colentina Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.
PLoS One. 2021 Oct 6;16(10):e0257381. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257381. eCollection 2021.
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.
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.
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.
COVID-19 pandemic represented and will still pose a challenge for healthcare workers (HCWs) from all over the world. They felt unprepared for such a crisis. Further measures should be implemented in every hospital to maintain HCWs awareness and to prevent physical imbalance. Appropriate standards of care should be further stated by the authorities so that the healthcare providers may find easier a balance between their safety and their patients' needs. Conducting qualitative research involving HCWs during pandemic times may help in informing more significant policy decisions.
医疗保健提供者是有限的资源，他们的心理健康对患者护理和确保大流行病得到控制至关重要。我们旨在探讨医疗保健工作者在 COVID-19 大流行的准备阶段的经历，以确定感知到的弱点和优势。
对 17 名参与者（包括高级医生、住院医师和护士）进行了访谈。对访谈进行了录音，并逐字记录了转录内容。我们使用了主题分析。
我们确定了四个主题，随后有子主题：应对未知、人与医生、无助感和通往天堂的桥梁，这些主题探讨了医疗保健工作者如何应对缺乏知识、失去控制的感觉，以及他们如何管理内部斗争。还进一步评估了对当局和同事的失望情绪。我们确定了与他们的幸福感相关的因素。
COVID-19 大流行对来自世界各地的医疗保健工作者（HCWs）来说是一个挑战，而且仍将是一个挑战。他们对这场危机毫无准备。应在每家医院实施进一步措施，以保持 HCWs 的意识，并防止身体失衡。当局应进一步阐明适当的护理标准，以便医疗保健提供者在自己的安全和患者的需求之间更容易找到平衡。在大流行期间对 HCWs 进行定性研究可能有助于为更重大的政策决策提供信息。
