The perceived effects of COVID-19 while living with a chronic illness.
J Nurs Scholarsh
; 55(1): 154-162, 2023 01.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36281970
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
A diagnosis of chronic illness posed a serious threat to people during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. People with chronic illnesses were faced with increased mortality and reduced access to healthcare. Self-care is the process of maintaining health and managing a chronic illness. Nurses working in specialist services provide healthcare education to people with chronic illnesses. Access to these nurses was decreased during periods of the COVID-19 virus escalation due to the reconfiguration of services and redeployment of nurses. The purpose of the research was to learn from the experiences of people with a chronic illnesses in self-care behaviors and accessing altered healthcare services to inform future practices.DESIGN:
A population survey design.METHODS:
A mixed methods survey was designed, combining validated questionnaires and scales with open-ended questions. A convenience sample was utilized via using social media platforms. Data analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics. Content analysis was used to analyze open-ended responses.RESULTS:
There were 147 responses, with approximately half reporting no changes in face-to-face healthcare contact, 41% reporting decreased contacts and 12% increased contacts. Non-face-to-face contacts were reduced by almost 9%, did not change by almost 60%, while 33% indicated an increase. Participants reported mixed perceptions in contact with healthcare providers during restrictions. In the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care and the Self-Care of Chronic Illness scales, participants scored statistically lower scores than in previous studies. Participants indicated that public health restrictions negatively impacted their confidence, created challenges with re-engaging and that access to care was more difficult.CONCLUSION:
This research highlights the importance of providing continued support to people with chronic illness irrespective of other challenges to healthcare services. A structured approach to virtual self-care education is required. CLINICAL RELEVANCE This research concluded that the experience of access to one healthcare professional as opposed to diverse multidisciplinary input was similar for a number of chronic illnesses groups of people during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was an altered dynamic of virtual contacts with healthcare providers and a lack of confidence interpreting what monitoring was required by people with a chronic illnesses due to a lack of preparedness for virtual healthcare delivery.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Contexto en salud:
4_TD
/
6_ODS3_enfermedades_notrasmisibles
Problema de salud:
4_covid_19
/
4_pneumonia
/
6_other_respiratory_diseases
Asunto principal:
Pandemias
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudio:
Qualitative_research
Límite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Nurs Scholarsh
Asunto de la revista:
ENFERMAGEM
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Irlanda