The Experience of Saudi Respiratory Therapists Dealing With COVID-19 Patients: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: Health-care professionals have fought hard to restrain the COVID-19 pandemic by providing high-quality care for their infected patients, but in doing so they have developed fears of becoming sick and feelings of isolation and loneliness. The lived experience of respiratory therapists (RTs) in Saudi Arabia who work with these infected patients needs further investigation. Therefore, this study sought to describe the experiences and coping strategies of Saudi respiratory therapists managing patients with COVID-19.

Methods: The study utilized qualitative research methods, specifically employing a phenomenological research design. A total of 25 Saudi respiratory therapists (RTs) who were in direct contact with COVID-19 patients were selected after they agreed to participate in this study. The study followed a one-on-one semi-structured interview process using the Zoom platform. This qualitative data collection technique focuses on the participants’ lived experiences and feelings to discover shared patterns. The data were analyzed via an inductive approach. The IRB committee of King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences approved this study (SP20/419/J).

Results: Six themes were found in the RTs’ perceptions, including stress while treating COVID patients, managing the fear of catching of COVID-19, feelings towards COVID-19 patients, challenges faced by female RTs, workplace experiences, and excessive workload.

Conclusions: RTs’ feelings dramatically changed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. All the RTs have developed a self-copying style that has helped them improve their psychosocial behavior to face the pandemic. During the outbreak, frontline RTs’ positive and negative emotions intertwined and coexisted. Negative emotions predominated in the beginning, while good feelings emerged gradually. Self-coping methods and psychosocial development were significant factors in RTs’ mental health while caring for COVID-19 patients.