Healthcare Providers’ Experiences of Caring for Patients With COVID-19 Requiring Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support

Abstract

Background Coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) affected healthcare workers (HCW) in ways more than increasing the volume of patients needing care. Increased numbers of patients at younger ages required support with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Providing this care requires an interdisciplinary team. Aim This study explored the experiences of HCW caring for patients with COVID-19 on ECMO. Methods Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted via videoconferencing, and transcript comparison was used for the analysis. Findings Open coding of the data generated 7 categories including (1) fearing the unknown, (2) confronting challenges in patient and/or family interactions, (3) encountering barriers to providing care, (4) facing moral distress, (5) working through exhaustion, (6) persevering by strengthening teamwork, (7) and acknowledging frustration with non-believers. Discussion HCW balanced pessimism and optimism while caring for patient with COVID-19 on ECMO. They used negative experiences caring for these patients to strength teamwork and bonding among peers. Conclusion The practice implications for caring for patients with COVID-19 on ECMO include viligance by clinician and organization to protect the wellbeing of healthcare providers, particularly in ICU and ECMO units were moral distress and burnout can be high.