TY - JOUR
T1 - “It feels like I'm the dirtiest person in the world.”
T2 - Exploring the experiences of healthcare providers who survived MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia
AU - Almutairi, Adel F.
AU - Adlan, Abdallah A.
AU - Balkhy, Hanan H.
AU - Abbas, Oraynab A.
AU - Clark, Alexander M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Authors
PY - 2018/3
Y1 - 2018/3
N2 - In summer 2015, a Saudi 1000-bed tertiary care hospital experienced a serious outbreak among patients of Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS); during which, some healthcare providers contracted the virus, but none died. The outbreak provoked not only fear and stress; but also professional, emotional, ethical, and social conflicts and tension among healthcare providers and patients alike. Therefore, this study aims to explore what healthcare providers, who survived coronavirus infection, have experienced as a MERS patient and how the infection affected their relationship with their colleagues. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted individually with seven survivors (healthcare providers). Each interview lasted up to 90 min, and the data were analyzed using the thematic analysis technique. Within the participants’ rich and illuminating experiences, four themes were identified: caring for others in the defining moments, perceived prejudice behaviours and stigmatization, lived moments of traumatic fear and despair, and denial and underestimation of the seriousness of the disease at the individual and organizational levels. Survivors still suffered as a result of their traumatic experiences, which might negatively influence their performance. As these survivors are vulnerable, it is their organization's responsibility to provide a system that embraces HCPs during and after disastrous events.
AB - In summer 2015, a Saudi 1000-bed tertiary care hospital experienced a serious outbreak among patients of Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS); during which, some healthcare providers contracted the virus, but none died. The outbreak provoked not only fear and stress; but also professional, emotional, ethical, and social conflicts and tension among healthcare providers and patients alike. Therefore, this study aims to explore what healthcare providers, who survived coronavirus infection, have experienced as a MERS patient and how the infection affected their relationship with their colleagues. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted individually with seven survivors (healthcare providers). Each interview lasted up to 90 min, and the data were analyzed using the thematic analysis technique. Within the participants’ rich and illuminating experiences, four themes were identified: caring for others in the defining moments, perceived prejudice behaviours and stigmatization, lived moments of traumatic fear and despair, and denial and underestimation of the seriousness of the disease at the individual and organizational levels. Survivors still suffered as a result of their traumatic experiences, which might negatively influence their performance. As these survivors are vulnerable, it is their organization's responsibility to provide a system that embraces HCPs during and after disastrous events.
KW - Coronavirus
KW - Infection
KW - MERS
KW - Outbreak
KW - Qualitative research
KW - Saudi Arabia
KW - Survivor
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85021451394&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jiph.2017.06.011
DO - 10.1016/j.jiph.2017.06.011
M3 - Journal Article
C2 - 28676285
AN - SCOPUS:85021451394
SN - 1876-0341
VL - 11
SP - 187
EP - 191
JO - Journal of Infection and Public Health
JF - Journal of Infection and Public Health
IS - 2
ER -