Experiences of Family Members of Healthcare Workers Caring for COVID-19 Patients in Lesotho: A Qualitative Study

Bokang Mahlelehlele; Maselobe Lebona; Moses Murandu

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13

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Experiences of Family Members of Healthcare Workers Caring for COVID-19 Patients in Lesotho: A Qualitative Study

Bokang Mahlelehlele, Maselobe Lebona, Moses Murandu

Published in American Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences (Volume 3, Issue 4)

Received: 17 November 2022 Accepted: 2 December 2022 Published: 27 December 2022

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Abstract

Background: In the wake of 2020, the world saw the beginning of a modern-day armageddon as a deadly and highly infectious disease emerged. The emergence of COVID-19 changed the world as we knew it. Amidst the resultant mayhem, several researchers engaged in studies about this disease, its impact on the global economy and on the healthcare system at large. Many studies focused on the impact it had on the well-being of healthcare workers but there is limited research on experiences of the family members of this vulnerable group. Material and Methods: The study employed a descriptive phenomenological research design and data was collected in the form of unstructured interviews. Analysis: Data analysis was done using Colaizzi’s seven-step method of qualitative data analysis. Results: Findings revealed a significant amount of negative emotions such as fear and frustration among family members, some positive emotions that among others included the opportunity of employment for their loved ones and gaining more knowledge about the disease. Conclusions: The well-being of family members of healthcare workers who were involved in the care of COVID-19 patients has an impact on the well-being of such healthcare workers. For the front-liners to function optimally, they need support from their loved ones, and this became difficult because of the fears that resulted from the pandemic. Many family members of front liners had to endure the continued possible exposure to the disease but they were overlooked as a vulnerable group during this pandemic.

Published in	American Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences (Volume 3, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13
Page(s)	101-106
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

COVID-19, Experiences, Family Members, COVID-19 Front-Liners

References

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APA Style

Bokang Mahlelehlele, Maselobe Lebona, Moses Murandu. (2022). Experiences of Family Members of Healthcare Workers Caring for COVID-19 Patients in Lesotho: A Qualitative Study. American Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences, 3(4), 101-106. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13

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ACS Style

Bokang Mahlelehlele; Maselobe Lebona; Moses Murandu. Experiences of Family Members of Healthcare Workers Caring for COVID-19 Patients in Lesotho: A Qualitative Study. Am. J. Nurs. Health Sci. 2022, 3(4), 101-106. doi: 10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13

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AMA Style

Bokang Mahlelehlele, Maselobe Lebona, Moses Murandu. Experiences of Family Members of Healthcare Workers Caring for COVID-19 Patients in Lesotho: A Qualitative Study. Am J Nurs Health Sci. 2022;3(4):101-106. doi: 10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13,
  author = {Bokang Mahlelehlele and Maselobe Lebona and Moses Murandu},
  title = {Experiences of Family Members of Healthcare Workers Caring for COVID-19 Patients in Lesotho: A Qualitative Study},
  journal = {American Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences},
  volume = {3},
  number = {4},
  pages = {101-106},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajnhs.20220304.13},
  abstract = {Background: In the wake of 2020, the world saw the beginning of a modern-day armageddon as a deadly and highly infectious disease emerged. The emergence of COVID-19 changed the world as we knew it. Amidst the resultant mayhem, several researchers engaged in studies about this disease, its impact on the global economy and on the healthcare system at large. Many studies focused on the impact it had on the well-being of healthcare workers but there is limited research on experiences of the family members of this vulnerable group. Material and Methods: The study employed a descriptive phenomenological research design and data was collected in the form of unstructured interviews. Analysis: Data analysis was done using Colaizzi’s seven-step method of qualitative data analysis. Results: Findings revealed a significant amount of negative emotions such as fear and frustration among family members, some positive emotions that among others included the opportunity of employment for their loved ones and gaining more knowledge about the disease. Conclusions: The well-being of family members of healthcare workers who were involved in the care of COVID-19 patients has an impact on the well-being of such healthcare workers. For the front-liners to function optimally, they need support from their loved ones, and this became difficult because of the fears that resulted from the pandemic. Many family members of front liners had to endure the continued possible exposure to the disease but they were overlooked as a vulnerable group during this pandemic.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Experiences of Family Members of Healthcare Workers Caring for COVID-19 Patients in Lesotho: A Qualitative Study
AU  - Bokang Mahlelehlele
AU  - Maselobe Lebona
AU  - Moses Murandu
Y1  - 2022/12/27
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13
T2  - American Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences
JF  - American Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences
JO  - American Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences
SP  - 101
EP  - 106
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2994-7227
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13
AB  - Background: In the wake of 2020, the world saw the beginning of a modern-day armageddon as a deadly and highly infectious disease emerged. The emergence of COVID-19 changed the world as we knew it. Amidst the resultant mayhem, several researchers engaged in studies about this disease, its impact on the global economy and on the healthcare system at large. Many studies focused on the impact it had on the well-being of healthcare workers but there is limited research on experiences of the family members of this vulnerable group. Material and Methods: The study employed a descriptive phenomenological research design and data was collected in the form of unstructured interviews. Analysis: Data analysis was done using Colaizzi’s seven-step method of qualitative data analysis. Results: Findings revealed a significant amount of negative emotions such as fear and frustration among family members, some positive emotions that among others included the opportunity of employment for their loved ones and gaining more knowledge about the disease. Conclusions: The well-being of family members of healthcare workers who were involved in the care of COVID-19 patients has an impact on the well-being of such healthcare workers. For the front-liners to function optimally, they need support from their loved ones, and this became difficult because of the fears that resulted from the pandemic. Many family members of front liners had to endure the continued possible exposure to the disease but they were overlooked as a vulnerable group during this pandemic.
VL  - 3
IS  - 4
ER  -

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Author Information

Bokang Mahlelehlele

Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, National University of Lesotho, Maseru, Lesotho
Maselobe Lebona

Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, National University of Lesotho, Maseru, Lesotho
Moses Murandu

Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing, School of Nursing, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

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APA Style

Bokang Mahlelehlele, Maselobe Lebona, Moses Murandu. (2022). Experiences of Family Members of Healthcare Workers Caring for COVID-19 Patients in Lesotho: A Qualitative Study. American Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences, 3(4), 101-106. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13

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ACS Style

Bokang Mahlelehlele; Maselobe Lebona; Moses Murandu. Experiences of Family Members of Healthcare Workers Caring for COVID-19 Patients in Lesotho: A Qualitative Study. Am. J. Nurs. Health Sci. 2022, 3(4), 101-106. doi: 10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13

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AMA Style

Bokang Mahlelehlele, Maselobe Lebona, Moses Murandu. Experiences of Family Members of Healthcare Workers Caring for COVID-19 Patients in Lesotho: A Qualitative Study. Am J Nurs Health Sci. 2022;3(4):101-106. doi: 10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13,
  author = {Bokang Mahlelehlele and Maselobe Lebona and Moses Murandu},
  title = {Experiences of Family Members of Healthcare Workers Caring for COVID-19 Patients in Lesotho: A Qualitative Study},
  journal = {American Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences},
  volume = {3},
  number = {4},
  pages = {101-106},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajnhs.20220304.13},
  abstract = {Background: In the wake of 2020, the world saw the beginning of a modern-day armageddon as a deadly and highly infectious disease emerged. The emergence of COVID-19 changed the world as we knew it. Amidst the resultant mayhem, several researchers engaged in studies about this disease, its impact on the global economy and on the healthcare system at large. Many studies focused on the impact it had on the well-being of healthcare workers but there is limited research on experiences of the family members of this vulnerable group. Material and Methods: The study employed a descriptive phenomenological research design and data was collected in the form of unstructured interviews. Analysis: Data analysis was done using Colaizzi’s seven-step method of qualitative data analysis. Results: Findings revealed a significant amount of negative emotions such as fear and frustration among family members, some positive emotions that among others included the opportunity of employment for their loved ones and gaining more knowledge about the disease. Conclusions: The well-being of family members of healthcare workers who were involved in the care of COVID-19 patients has an impact on the well-being of such healthcare workers. For the front-liners to function optimally, they need support from their loved ones, and this became difficult because of the fears that resulted from the pandemic. Many family members of front liners had to endure the continued possible exposure to the disease but they were overlooked as a vulnerable group during this pandemic.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Experiences of Family Members of Healthcare Workers Caring for COVID-19 Patients in Lesotho: A Qualitative Study
AU  - Bokang Mahlelehlele
AU  - Maselobe Lebona
AU  - Moses Murandu
Y1  - 2022/12/27
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13
T2  - American Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences
JF  - American Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences
JO  - American Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences
SP  - 101
EP  - 106
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2994-7227
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajnhs.20220304.13
AB  - Background: In the wake of 2020, the world saw the beginning of a modern-day armageddon as a deadly and highly infectious disease emerged. The emergence of COVID-19 changed the world as we knew it. Amidst the resultant mayhem, several researchers engaged in studies about this disease, its impact on the global economy and on the healthcare system at large. Many studies focused on the impact it had on the well-being of healthcare workers but there is limited research on experiences of the family members of this vulnerable group. Material and Methods: The study employed a descriptive phenomenological research design and data was collected in the form of unstructured interviews. Analysis: Data analysis was done using Colaizzi’s seven-step method of qualitative data analysis. Results: Findings revealed a significant amount of negative emotions such as fear and frustration among family members, some positive emotions that among others included the opportunity of employment for their loved ones and gaining more knowledge about the disease. Conclusions: The well-being of family members of healthcare workers who were involved in the care of COVID-19 patients has an impact on the well-being of such healthcare workers. For the front-liners to function optimally, they need support from their loved ones, and this became difficult because of the fears that resulted from the pandemic. Many family members of front liners had to endure the continued possible exposure to the disease but they were overlooked as a vulnerable group during this pandemic.
VL  - 3
IS  - 4
ER  -

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