Patients' Health Experiences of Post COVID-19 Condition-A Qualitative Study

Johanna Almgren; Emma Löfström; Julia S Malmborg; Jens Nygren; Johan Undén; Ingrid Larsson

doi:10.3390/ijerph192113980

Patients' Health Experiences of Post COVID-19 Condition-A Qualitative Study

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Oct 27;19(21):13980. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192113980.

Authors

Johanna Almgren¹, Emma Löfström^{2

3}, Julia S Malmborg¹, Jens Nygren¹, Johan Undén^{3

4}, Ingrid Larsson^{1

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ School of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University, P.O. Box 823, SE-301 18 Halmstad, Sweden.
² Department of Clinical Microbiology, Hallands Hospital Halmstad, SE-301 85 Halmstad, Sweden.
³ Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, P.O. Box 117, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden.
⁴ Department of Operation and Intensive Care, Hallands Hospital Halmstad, SE-301 85 Halmstad, Sweden.
⁵ Spenshult Research and Development Centre, SE-302 74 Halmstad, Sweden.
⁶ Section of Rheumatology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, P.O. Box 117, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden.

Abstract

Patients who suffer from long-term symptoms of COVID-19, described as post COVID-19 condition, are a new and large group of patients. There is a lack of knowledge concerning health experiences in this patient group. The aim of this study was to explore patients' health experiences of post COVID-19 condition. Data collection was performed through 14 semi-structured interviews. The qualitative content analysis resulted in six sub-categories, three categories, and an overall theme. Patients experienced symptoms of varying duration-ranging from 5-21 months. The results showed that patients' health experiences of post COVID-19 condition moved between uncertainty and new insights. This was shown by patients experiencing: (1) loss of abilities, including losing smell and taste and lacking energy, (2) loss of control, including being foreign to oneself and seeking answers, and (3) revaluation of life, including accepting the transformed body and prioritizing health. This study illustrates that patients living with post COVID-19 condition need to be treated with flexibility, based on each individual's unique challenges and experiences of the symptoms and the consequences for their health.

Keywords: COVID-19; experience; health; lifestyle; long-term symptoms.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
Humans
Qualitative Research
Uncertainty

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Region Halland Research Council, (HALLAND-965985), the Foundation of Sparbanken Varberg (HALLAND-967873), and the Knowledge foundation (Dnr-280042).