- Title
- The perceived effects of COVID-19 while living with a chronic illness
- Creator
- Ryder, Mary; Guerin, Suzanne; Forde, Rita; Lowe, Grainne; Jaarsma, Tiny; O'Neill, Madeline; Halley, Carmel; Connolly, Michael
- Date
- 2023
- Type
- Text; Journal article
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/193207
- Identifier
- vital:18146
- Identifier
-
https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12835
- Identifier
- ISSN:1527-6546 (ISSN)
- Abstract
- Introduction: A diagnosis of chronic illness posed a serious threat to people during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. People with chronic illnesses were faced with increased mortality and reduced access to healthcare. Self-care is the process of maintaining health and managing a chronic illness. Nurses working in specialist services provide healthcare education to people with chronic illnesses. Access to these nurses was decreased during periods of the COVID-19 virus escalation due to the reconfiguration of services and redeployment of nurses. The purpose of the research was to learn from the experiences of people with a chronic illnesses in self-care behaviors and accessing altered healthcare services to inform future practices. Design: A population survey design. Methods: A mixed methods survey was designed, combining validated questionnaires and scales with open-ended questions. A convenience sample was utilized via using social media platforms. Data analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics. Content analysis was used to analyze open-ended responses. Results: There were 147 responses, with approximately half reporting no changes in face-to-face healthcare contact, 41% reporting decreased contacts and 12% increased contacts. Non-face-to-face contacts were reduced by almost 9%, did not change by almost 60%, while 33% indicated an increase. Participants reported mixed perceptions in contact with healthcare providers during restrictions. In the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care and the Self-Care of Chronic Illness scales, participants scored statistically lower scores than in previous studies. Participants indicated that public health restrictions negatively impacted their confidence, created challenges with re-engaging and that access to care was more difficult. Conclusion: This research highlights the importance of providing continued support to people with chronic illness irrespective of other challenges to healthcare services. A structured approach to virtual self-care education is required. Clinical relevance: This research concluded that the experience of access to one healthcare professional as opposed to diverse multidisciplinary input was similar for a number of chronic illnesses groups of people during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was an altered dynamic of virtual contacts with healthcare providers and a lack of confidence interpreting what monitoring was required by people with a chronic illnesses due to a lack of preparedness for virtual healthcare delivery. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Nursing Scholarship published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Sigma Theta Tau International.
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons Inc
- Relation
- Journal of Nursing Scholarship Vol. 55, no. 1 (2023), p. 154-162
- Rights
- All metadata describing materials held in, or linked to, the repository is freely available under a CC0 licence
- Rights
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Rights
- Copyright © 2022 The Authors
- Rights
- Open Access
- Subject
- 4204 Midwifery; 4205 Nursing; Arthritis; Chronic illness; COVID-19; Diabetes; Heart failure; Lung disease; Self-care
- Full Text
- Reviewed
- Funder
- Open access funding provided by IReL.
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