Hospitalization experience of elderly people with Covid-19

Abstract

Objective: To understand the hospitalization experience of elderly people with Covid-19. Methods: Qualitative, exploratory study with 28 participants selected from the baseline of the Paraná/UEM Covid-19 cohort, throughout the first year of the pandemic in 2020. We used interviews guided by a semi-structured script, conducted from February to July 2022. Data collection and analysis took place in parallel, and analytical techniques of initial and focused coding were applied and supported by the MAXQDA®️ 2022 software. Results: The data was presented in four categories: feelings during hospitalization, which includes positive and negative emotions during the period; experiences during hospitalization, which addresses the difficulties encountered; satisfaction with the service, portraying the mode of assistance received during hospitalization; and coping strategies during and after hospitalization, demonstrating ways of overcoming the post-hospitalization period due to the illness. Conclusion: Feelings of uncertainty about the effectiveness of the treatment and fear of the disease’s severity were able to reveal satisfaction with the support offered by the health team, with emphasis on the user embracement and humanized approach by nursing team.