"Three Sides to Every Story": Living the Patient, Carer and Staff Experience of COVID.

Abstract

In 2020, the UK's National Health Service (NHS) braced itself for the challenge of the COVID pandemic. Older, frail adults were among those at highest risk for morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to capture the lived experiences of patients, families/carers and staff on a COVID ward. Thirty participants were included, and data collected through in-depth unstructured interviews. The data were analyzed using interpretive phenomenology. Four main themes were constructed, capturing the collective experiences of the participants. The first theme, the changing and uncertain period of time, describes the shared sense of immersion in the chaotic situation, lack of control and resulting fears related to the contagion. Secondly, challenges of care, focuses on shared anxieties and guilt related to shortcomings in care delivery, and efforts to adapt to the new situation. The third theme, communication and keeping in touch, details the effect restrictions had on efforts to maintain contact and its toll on mental health. The last theme of challenging situations in end-of-life care, reflects experiences of grief and loss shared by all three participant groups. This study adds to the growing evidence base around experiences of the COVID pandemic through exploration of the profound triangulated experience of all participants.