Experiences of COVID‐19 survivors: A qualitative study based on Watson's Theory of Human Caring

• Published in: Nursing & health sciences Vol. 24; no. 3; pp. 774 - 784
• Main Authors: Muslu, Leyla, Kolutek, Rahşan, Fidan, Güldane
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melbourne John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 01-09-2022; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Attribution; Caregiving; COVID-19; experience; Health care; Health psychology; Hopelessness; Humans; Medical personnel; Psychosocial development; Psychosocial factors; Qualitative research; qualitative study; Recovery (Medical); Survivor; survivors; Turkey; Watson's theory of human caring
• ISSN: 1441-0745; 1442-2018
• DOI: 10.1111/nhs.12979

This study aims to investigate the experiences of survivors of COVID‐19 in Turkey. The research questions and results are structured according to Watson's Theory of Human Caring. The study was conducted using a descriptive qualitative research design. The phenomenological method was used to explore the experiences of survivors of COVID‐19. A total of 34 survivors of COVID‐19 were included in the study. Data were collected using semistructured and open‐ended questions online and via telephone interviews between February and March 2020. Data were evaluated using thematic analysis and descriptive analysis. Six main themes and 25 subthemes were defined that describe the experiences of survivors of COVID‐19 regarding the illness: (a) denial and adaptation, (b) fear, (c) feeling of hopelessness, (d) preventions, (e) meaning attribution, and (f) metaphors about COVID‐19. Information from this research may be used by healthcare professionals to develop new strategies for the care of survivors of COVID‐19. Moreover, it can be said that Watson's Theory of Human Caring is suitable for monitoring the psychosocial development of patients with COVID‐19.