Lived experience of Iranian pre-hospital medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: a descriptive phenomenological study

Mehdi Jafari-Oori; Manigeh Dehi; Abbas Ebadi; Seyed Tayeb Moradian; Hajar Sadeghi; Mojtaba Jafari

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1230892

Lived experience of Iranian pre-hospital medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: a descriptive phenomenological study

Front Psychol. 2023 Dec 21:14:1230892. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1230892. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Mehdi Jafari-Oori¹, Manigeh Dehi², Abbas Ebadi³, Seyed Tayeb Moradian¹, Hajar Sadeghi⁴, Mojtaba Jafari⁵

Affiliations

¹ Atherosclerosis Research Center, Faculty of Nursing, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, Iran.
³ Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Life Style Institute, Faculty of Nursing, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁵ Bam University of Medical Sciences, Bam, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Pre-hospital medical staff faced numerous challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, these challenges specific to pre-hospital services have not been thoroughly explored in Iran. This qualitative study aimed to examine the essence of pre-hospital care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This phenomenological study was conducted from June to August 2021 in Tehran, Iran. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with pre-hospital medical staff. Data analysis was performed using Colaizzi's approach, and rigor was ensured by adhering to the consolidated criteria for qualitative reporting research.

Results: A total of 17 pre-hospital medical staff were interviewed, and five themes were extracted from the data: workload and resilience, damage, lack of control, under preparedness, and post-traumatic growth. These themes highlight the resilience demonstrated by pre-hospital medical staff, who faced an unprecedented crisis with limited preparedness and significant damage.

Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that pre-hospital medical staff in Iran encountered challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic due to a lack of preparedness and substantial damage. Despite these adversities, the participants exhibited resilience and experienced post-traumatic growth. The study emphasizes the importance of proper planning and preparedness to enhance the resilience of emergency medical services during pandemics. Furthermore, the results underscore the need to address the challenges faced by pre-hospital medical staff and improve the quality of care provided to patients during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; emergency medical staff; lived experience; pre-hospital services; qualitative study.