Table 3.
Thematic analysis of open-ended questions
| Themes | Frequency, N (%) | Quotations | Keywords (mentions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st question: Burdens/difficulties patients were dealing with during the COVID-19 pandemic | |||
| Loneliness and isolation | 113 (27.8%) |
"Impossibility to meet family and friends." "No human interaction." "Loneliness far from children, family and friends." "Impossibility to go out, visit family and children, or travel abroad." |
"Friends" (34) "Family" (23) "Lockdown" (20) "Loneliness" (7) |
| Physical manifestations related to the hematological condition or its treatment | 109 (26.8%) |
"Significant fatigue related to the disease." "Side effects after each therapy." "Significant muscle pain and weakness related to treatment with a new drug." |
"Fatigue" (37) "Pain" (27) "Weakness" (14) "Insomnia" (7) |
| Fears related to the COVID-19 pandemic | 49 (12.1%) |
"Uncertainty about what may happen if I am infected with corona." "Fear about the pandemic." "Fear to be infected with corona." |
"Infected" (39) "Corona" (23) |
| Uncertainty about the future | 31 (7.6%) |
"Fear of the unknown." "Psychological difficulty and fear of what may be in the future." "Uncertainty about when it will end." |
"Uncertainty" (14) "Anxiety" (8) |
| Fears related to the hematological malignancy | 30 (7.4%) |
"Uncertainty and non-understanding about the future of my hematological disease." "Uncertainty about the efficacy of the treatment I receive." "Fear that the response to the treatment will not be good enough." "Uncertainty about my health." |
"Treatment" (11) "Disease" (8) "Health" (5) "Uncertainty" (5) |
| Related to work and economic issues | 19 (4.6%) |
"Uncertainty about the future in an economical and professional point of view." "I did not come back to work." |
"Work" (9) "Economy" (5) "Busy" (3) |
| No difficulty or no answer | 51 (12.6%) | ||
| 2nd question: Main ways to cope with the mentioned difficulties* | |||
| Family or friends | 75 (21.0%) |
"The necessity to take care of my children." "Conversations with my family." "Family and friends' support." |
"Family" (34) "Children" (15) "Friends" (10) |
| Being occupied | 74 (20.7%) |
"The fact that I continue working as usual." "Distractions such as work, reading, sport…" "I am cooking a lot and painting almost every day." |
"Reading" (19) "Work" (14) "Occupy" (6) |
| No way to cope to difficulties | 37 (10.7%) | ||
| 3rd question: Main solutions that may have helped improving the mentioned difficulties** | |||
| Life without COVID-19 | 59 (16.5%) |
"The possibility to go out and meet family normally." "That corona is temporary." "Vaccination for corona." |
"Lockdown" (18) "Corona" (13) "Vaccinate" (9) |
| Restoration of familial and social activities | 57 (16.0%) |
"Going out and meeting friends and family." "Meeting friends, family, children." "The opening of swimming-pools and sport areas." |
"Friends" (17) "Meeting" (8) "Family" (7) |
| No potential solution | 98 (27.5%) | ||
*Other ways to cope with the mentioned difficulties: patient’s personality (optimism, faith), substance use (drugs or cannabis), technology (e.g. internet, telephone), psychological or complementary medicine treatments, physical activity, rest, protection against COVID-19, hematologist’s support
**Other potential solutions: conversations and psychological help, better consideration from the system and the physicians, better health status and normal test results, holidays and vacations, emotional support, substance use (drugs, cannabis), work, physiotherapy