Patients' Health Experiences of Post COVID-19 Condition – A Qualitative StudyShow others and affiliations
2022 (English)In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, ISSN 1661-7827, E-ISSN 1660-4601, Vol. 19, no 21, article id 13980Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Patients who suffer from long-term symptoms of COVID-19, described as post COVID-19 condition, are a new and large group of patients. There is a lack of knowledge concerning health experiences in this patient group. The aim of this study was to explore patients' health experiences of post COVID-19 condition. Data collection was performed through 14 semi-structured interviews. The qualitative content analysis resulted in six sub-categories, three categories, and an overall theme. Patients experienced symptoms of varying duration-ranging from 5-21 months. The results showed that patients' health experiences of post COVID-19 condition moved between uncertainty and new insights. This was shown by patients experiencing: (1) loss of abilities, including losing smell and taste and lacking energy, (2) loss of control, including being foreign to oneself and seeking answers, and (3) revaluation of life, including accepting the transformed body and prioritizing health. This study illustrates that patients living with post COVID-19 condition need to be treated with flexibility, based on each individual's unique challenges and experiences of the symptoms and the consequences for their health. © 2022 by the authors.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Basel: MDPI, 2022. Vol. 19, no 21, article id 13980
Keywords [en]
COVID-19, experience, health, lifestyle, long-term symptoms
National Category
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-48673DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192113980ISI: 000881086200001PubMedID: 36360860Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85141554462OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hh-48673DiVA, id: diva2:1712811
Funder
Region Halland, HALLAND-965985Knowledge Foundation, Dnr-280042
Note
Other funding: The Foundation of Sparbanken Varberg (HALLAND-967873)
2022-11-222022-11-222022-11-24Bibliographically approved