Department of Medical Science, University of Udine, Viale Ungheria, 20-33010 Udine, Italy.
Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, University of Udine and Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli Centrale (ASUFC), Piazzale Santa Maria della Misericordia, 15-33100 Udine, Italy.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Apr 19;19(9):4954. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19094954.
The COVID-19 pandemic emotionally affected the lives of patients cared for in different settings. However, a comprehensive view of the whole experience as lived by survived patients, from the onset of the disease and over time, is substantially unknown to date. A descriptive qualitative design was implemented according to the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research. Adult patients (=1067) cared for during the first wave (March/April 2020) capable of answering an interview and willing to participate were interviewed (=397) by phone with an interview guide including open- and closed-ended questions. In this context, they were asked to summarise with a metaphor their entire COVID-19 experience at six months. Then, the emotional orientation (positive, neutral, or negative) of the metaphors expressed was identified. The participants were mainly female (206; 51.9%), with an average age of 52.6 years (CI 95% 50.4-53.6), reporting a mild severity of COVID-19 disease at the onset (261; 65.7%) and the perception of being completely healed (294; 70%) at six months. The patients summarised their experiences mainly using negative-oriented (248; 62.5%) metaphors; only 54 (13.6%) reported positive-oriented metaphors and a quarter (95; 23.95) neutral-oriented metaphors. Nearly all positive-oriented metaphors were reported by patients with symptoms at the onset (53; 98.1%), a significantly higher proportion compared to those reporting negative- (219; 88.3%) and neutral-oriented (78; 82.1%) metaphors ( = 0.014). While no other clinical features of the disease were associated, among females, significantly more negative-oriented metaphors emerged. Moreover, neutral-oriented metaphors were reported by younger patients (49.5 years, CI 95% 64.11-52.92) as compared to those negative and positive that were reported by more mature patients (53.9; CI 95% 52.04-55.93 and 54.8; CI 95% 50.53-59.24, respectively) ( = 0.044). Nurses and healthcare services require data to predict the long-term needs of patients. Our findings suggest that, for many patients, the COVID-19 lived experience was negative over time.
COVID-19 大流行从情感上影响了在不同环境中接受治疗的患者的生活。然而，迄今为止，人们对幸存患者从疾病发作到现在的整个生活经历还没有全面的了解。根据定性研究报告标准，采用描述性定性设计。对能够接受电话采访并愿意参加的 1067 名在第一波（2020 年 3 月/4 月）期间接受治疗的成年患者进行采访（=397），采访指南包括开放式和封闭式问题。在此背景下，他们被要求用隐喻总结他们在六个月时的整个 COVID-19 经历。然后，确定所表达隐喻的情感取向（积极、中性或消极）。参与者主要为女性（206；51.9%），平均年龄为 52.6 岁（95%CI50.4-53.6），在疾病发作时报告 COVID-19 疾病的严重程度较轻（261；65.7%），并在六个月时报告完全康复（294；70%）。患者主要用消极导向（248；62.5%）的隐喻来总结他们的经历；只有 54（13.6%）例报告了积极导向的隐喻，四分之一（95；23.95%）例报告了中性导向的隐喻。几乎所有积极导向的隐喻都是由有症状的患者报告的（53；98.1%），明显高于报告消极（219；88.3%）和中性导向（78；82.1%）隐喻的患者（ = 0.014）。虽然疾病的其他临床特征没有相关性，但在女性中，明显出现了更多的消极导向隐喻。此外，中性导向的隐喻是由年轻的患者报告的（49.5 岁，95%CI 64.11-52.92），而消极和积极导向的隐喻是由更成熟的患者报告的（53.9；95%CI 52.04-55.93 和 54.8；95%CI 50.53-59.24，分别）（ = 0.044）。护士和医疗保健服务需要数据来预测患者的长期需求。我们的研究结果表明，对许多患者来说，COVID-19 的生活体验是负面的。
