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Relatives’ experiences of the hospitalisation of older people with COVID‐19: A qualitative interview study
Author(s) -
Hoffmann Eva,
Specht Kirsten,
Elkjær Mette,
Kjær Maria,
Primdahl Jette
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
international journal of older people nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.707
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 1748-3743
pISSN - 1748-3735
DOI - 10.1111/opn.12451
Subject(s) - feeling , qualitative research , visitor pattern , pandemic , medicine , covid-19 , meaning (existential) , nursing , psychology , family medicine , health care , disease , social psychology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , economics , economic growth , social science , pathology , sociology , computer science , psychotherapist , programming language
Background During the COVID‐19 pandemic, visitors were restricted from hospitals, separating them from hospitalised friends and family to reduce the infection risk. Objectives The objective was to explore how relatives of older people acutely admitted to hospital with COVID‐19 experienced being a relative, and how they felt about their contact with health care professionals (HCPs) when visitor restrictions prevented their physical presence in the ward. Method This study employed a qualitative design. We used individual qualitative semi‐structured interviews and the participants were relatives of acutely admitted older people from three COVID‐19 wards in Denmark. A total of 18 relatives participated, 14 female and 4 male, aged between 45 and 83 years. The analysis was guided by Graneheim and Lundman’s qualitative content analysis. Results The analysis derived the following three themes: (1) the importance of trust in a period of uncertainty; (2) the meaning of contact with HCPs, and (3) active but at a distance—a balancing act. The participants' feelings of uncertainty were prominent. The unknown nature of the disease and the unusual situation challenged relatives' trust in HCPs and the health care system. Conclusions and relevance to practice The findings highlight relatives' stress when the possibilities for visiting are restricted and the importance of trust in, and the relationship with HCPs. This study can strengthen HCPs' understanding of relatives' situation when older people are hospitalised during and after the COVID‐19 pandemic.