https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9396-9800
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ABSTRACT
Purpose
To examine patients’ experiences of receiving care on an ICU for COVID-19 and the subsequent rehabilitation process.
Methods
An explorative and inductive design was used. Participants were recruited from two university hospitals in Sweden. Patients admitted to the ICU due to COVID-19 from March 2020 to April 2021, who enrolled in the ICU follow-up, and understood and spoke Swedish were invited to participate. In total, 20 participants completed a semi-structured interview, of whom 18 were included in the thematic analysis.
Results
The analysis resulted in two themes: “An isolated world with silver linings” and “Recovery in the wake of the pandemic”. Findings show that patients cared for on an ICU for COVID-19 during the pandemic felt safe but experienced a sense of vulnerability. After discharge, physical rehabilitation was a slow process with frustrating day-to-day fluctuations. Mentally, participants felt isolated, fatigued, and emotionally sensitive. Patients reported that love and support from family and friends were crucial for the recovery process.
Conclusions
This study highlights the challenges of recovering from COVID-19, emphasizing the importance of continued support from health care, public services, family and friends. It provides important insights into patients’ experiences and can inform future healthcare strategies and policies.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the participants in this study for giving their time and generously sharing their experiences with us. Warm thanks to Valborg Janson for the idea for this research project. We would also like to thank Lina Strömberg who participated in the project at the beginning and conducted the first interviews in the project.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Author contribution
RE, LO, FA, JS and LH developed the study design for the qualitative study. SN performed most of the interviews. RE, SN and LH performed the first analysis of the interviews. RE, SN and LO finalized the analysis. RE, SN, LH, LO and FA made the first drafts of the manuscript. All authors participated in discussions regarding the analysis, and read, revised and approved drafts of the manuscript. All authors approved the analysis and final manuscript.
Supplementary material
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2024.2301953
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Rakel Eklund
Rakel Eklund, PhD in palliative care, R.N. in psychiatric care. Eklund develops and evaluates psychosocial support interventions for families with dependent children in difficult life situations, e.g., severe illness, death and grief.
Lisa Hjelmfors
Lisa Hjelmfors, PhD, Behavioural scientist, MSc in Medical Education. Hjelmfors is currently working in the field of Medical Education, both as a researcher and as a teacher.
Sophia Nyquist
Sophia Nyquist, lic. Psychologist, Nyquist works clinically at an addiction clinic in Uppsala.
Josefin Sveen
Josefin Sveen, professor in clinical psychology, Sveen conducts research in the field of trauma and grief as well as digital interventions.
Michael Hultström
Michael Hultström, associate professor in physiology and specialist in anaesthesiology and intensive care, working mostly in intensive care.
Miklos Lipcsey
Miklos Lipcsey, MD, PhD, professor in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, working clinically in adult intensive care.
Robert Frithiof
Robert Frithiof, MD, PhD, associate professor in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, working clinically in paediatric intensive care.
Ewa Wallin
Ewa Wallin, RN, CCN, PhD, working clinically in adult intensive care.
Ing-Marie Larsson
Ing-Marie Larsson, RN, CCN, PhD, working clinically in adult intensive care.
Filip K. Arnberg
Filip Arnberg, ass. Prof, lic. clin. Psychologist, Arnberg is director of the National Centre for Disaster Psychiatry at Uppsala University, Sweden. He conducts research in psychotraumatology and works clinically in outpatient psychiatry.
Lotti Orwelius
Lotti Orwelius, Ass. Prof. CCN, Orwelius conducts research in Caring Science in Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Faculty and Health Sciences at Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden, on outcomes after intensive care with a focus on health-related quality of life. Orwelius developed and introduced the structured follow-up after intensive care in the national Swedish intensive care register (SIR).