Unveiling the impact: understanding long-term care workers' experiences and their perceptions of resident challenges amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
- PMID: 39962421
- PMCID: PMC11834567
- DOI: 10.1186/s12877-024-05656-0
Unveiling the impact: understanding long-term care workers' experiences and their perceptions of resident challenges amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
Abstract
Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, long-term care (LTC) facilities in Canada were confronted with many rapidly changing public health safety guidelines. Based on the guidelines, LTC facilities had to implement a series of virus containment and mitigation measures, presenting significant challenges for both workers and residents. This research aims to provide insights that could be used to guide improvements in the experiences of LTC workers, and of residents, in future pandemic crises.
Methods: A qualitative multi-case study was used to explore the pandemic experiences of a demographically diverse group of LTC workers in Canada, focusing on how public health safety guidelines impacted them, and their perceptions of challenges faced by residents. Fourteen workers were engaged from facilities in Nova Scotia and British Columbia, which are regions distinct geographically and with differences in safety guidelines and implementation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between April to October 2021. Using thematic analysis, we identified patterns within and across the interview transcripts.
Results: The thematic analysis provided an understanding of the experiences and perspectives of LTC workers. There were four key themes: (1) Tangling with Uncertainty, that describes the effects of ambiguous messaging and shifting COVID-19 safety guidance on workers; (2) Finding Voice, that highlights how workers coped with feelings of helplessness during the healthcare crisis; (3) Ripple Effects, of pandemic pressures on workers beyond resident care, that included strengthening of inter-colleague support as well as financial challenges, and; (4) Loss of Home, where workers perceived that protection of residents led to a loss of the residents' home environment, personal freedom, and autonomy.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that LTC workers' experiences during future pandemics may be improved by their inclusion in the development of public health safety guidelines, facilitating inter-colleague support systems, and ensuring worker financial stability. A balance should be found between preventing infection in LTC facilities and retaining the principles of holistic and resident-centered care for workers' and residents' mental health benefits.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Healthcare workers; Long-term care (LTC) facilities; Public health guidelines; Residents; Safety measures.
© 2024. The Author(s).
Conflict of interest statement
Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. This study was approved by the IWK Health Research Ethics Board (1025871), St. Francis Xavier University Research Ethics Board (24833), and The University of British Columbia Children’s and Women’s Health Centre of British Columbia Research Ethics Board (H20-02296). All participants provided verbal consent during their interview. All participants also provided their consent to take part in the interviews. Based on participants’ preference, written or verbal informed consent was obtained before each interview. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
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