Objective
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed health systems to their limits. Healthcare Providers (HP) are facing extreme working conditions and major changes in their usual work context (WC), potentially leading to a risk of developing mental health problems. Their ability to cope with these stressing conditions could be supported by different workplace interventions. Before effective supporting approaches are proposed to HP, their lived experiences in their specific WC have to be investigated.
Methods
We explored qualitatively the experience of HP of a university center for primary care and public health in Switzerland. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted. A thematic content analysis was realized.
Results
20 interviews were conducted (85% female HP; mean age = 40.55; 35% physicians, 35% nurses, 30% pharmacists). Six major themes emerged regarding HP’s experience when facing COVID-19 pandemic: i) professional complexity (risk of contamination, material shortage, communication difficulties, etc.); ii) new types of collaboration and work organization; iii) wide range of feelings (positive, negative, mixed, blurry feelings); iv) perceived benefits of the crisis (opportunities, new helping factors and resources,); v) emerging needs and confrontation with basic needs; vi) private life complexity (family organization, caring for loved ones, relationships changing).
Conclusions
Participants reported numerous individual, relational and institutional difficulties (both private and professional) related to COVID-19 pandemic, leading to multiple and mixed feelings. Constant changes in the WC forced them to keep adapting to find new balances. Individual and structural approaches, tailored to the WC, need to be proposed, promoting specific helping factors and minimizing emerging difficulties.