# Perceptions of lived in experiences of healthcare workers during COVID-19 Pandemic in a tertiary Care hospital: A perspective from Pakistan

## TL;DR

This study explores the experiences and emotions of healthcare workers in Pakistan managing the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting both challenges and coping strategies.

## Contribution

The study provides a qualitative insight into HCWs' lived experiences in a Pakistani tertiary hospital during the pandemic.

## Key findings

- Healthcare workers experienced significant negative emotions like fear and uncertainty, alongside positive feelings such as professional growth.
- Issues with PPE included communication and physical discomfort, but HCWs developed confidence in using it over time.
- Administrative support and coping strategies like team support and religion helped maintain mental health.

## Abstract

This study aimed to explore the perceptions of frontline Healthcare Workers (HCWs) towards managing COVID-19 in Tertiary care hospital in Pakistan.

This qualitative exploratory study was conducted from January to May 2021 at a Tertiary care hospital designated for COVID-19 patients in Rawalpindi Pakistan. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted from twenty six HCWs. To acquire a sample that was diverse in terms of professional capacity, degree of experience and exposure, purposive sampling technique was used. After thematic analysis, themes were generated by identifying patterns among codes.

Five themes emerged. All HCWs experienced significant amount of negative emotions including fear, uncertainty, imposing social distancing and workload. There were also positive experiences such as rewarding, call of duty and professional growth. HCWs experiences related to personal protective equipment (PPE) were communication issues, physical and dermatological issues, reuse and working confidently while wearing PPE. HCWs were buoyed by cooperation and facilitation, trainings and health education from administration. Coping mechanisms were used such as seeking team support, adjusting cognition to deal with reality and resorting to religion.

Negative emotions predominated in the beginning and positive emotions emerged gradually. PPE and administrative support played significant role. HCWs’ mental health was maintained in part by their self-coping styles. The findings of this study can be employed to inform and enhance future pandemic response initiatives.