Psychological Experiences of Elderly Patients With Covid-19 Diagnosis in Intensive Care: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

In the study, it was aimed to determine the experiences of elderly COVID-19 patients hospitalized in intensive care units. The study was conducted based on the phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research methods. In-depth interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview form with 15 participants, who were determined by the homogeneous and criterion sampling methods, two of the purposive sampling methods. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method. After the interviews, four themes were determined: intensive care experiences, importance of nursing care, intensive care environment and coping mechanisms related to COVID-19 disease, and post-intensive care realizations. In addition, 13 sub-themes were determined. This study provided a better understanding of the psychological experiences of elderly individuals during the disease, who have been hospitalized in intensive care unit and survived COVID-19.