ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION@#The COVID-19 pandemic caused traumatic events among health care workers. They are the ones who are exposed to the virus as frontliners. The study aimed to explore the experiences and impact of the pandemic on the physical, psychological and emotional aspects of both nurses and nursing aides.@*METHODS@#This was a qualitative interpretative phenomenological study, focused on describing the individual nurse’s and nursing aide’s lived experiences as stay-in personnel in a private hospital in Quezon City catering to COVID-19 patients. Participants were selected by purposive sampling. They were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire on how the pandemic affected their physical, psychological and emotional well-being. The qualitative data collected was coded and categorized according to themes that described their lived experiences.@*RESULTS@#The three themes derived were: impact of a pandemic, strategies and coping, and psychological outcome for the three interview questions. Impact of a pandemic included isolation from the family (loneliness/sadness and lack of family interaction) and adequate preparation for a pandemic (preparation for COVID-19, pandemic restrictions, health protocol compliance). Strategies and coping included comfort and convenience (living conditions, independent living), adapting to new normal (coping mechanisms, strategies; exploration), and family safety. Psychological outcome included the emotional impact (fear, anxiety).@*CONCLUSION@#The nurses and nursing aides had both negative and positive experiences, with different outcomes depending on the participant. Most of the experiences were positive, thus the investigators concluded that a change in the participants’ current lives has led to a voluntary decision to be separated from their loved ones while still being happy and content because of the assurance that their families were safe at home.
ABSTRACT
O uso de marcas corporais tem se tornado cada vez mais frequente, sobretudo entre adolescentes. Através de abordagem qualitativa, este estudo pretende avaliar se o uso de piercings e tatuagens afeta o cuidado prestado por auxiliares de enfermagem a adolescentes internados e identificar influências na formação dos significados atribuídos às marcas. Foram entrevistados auxiliares que trabalham em enfermaria específica para o atendimento de adolescentes. Após análise das entrevistas, foram formuladas categorias para melhor apreensão do sentido atribuído pelos auxiliares ao uso de marcas. Algumas categorias foram recorrentes, destacando-se a associação das marcas a: comportamentos de desvio; apelo erótico e consumismo; gesto de coragem; riscos de adoecimento e doença mental. Religião e valores familiares predominaram sobre a formação profissional em relação aos significados atribuídos ao objeto de estudo. Conclui-se que a visão negativa em relação às marcas relaciona-se diretamente ao cuidado. A quantidade de marcas, a localização, o tipo, a idade do adolescente e o caráter definitivo/transitório interferem na interpretação dos profissionais. Contudo, marcas corporais são ferramentas semiológicas importantes, devendo ser incluídas no roteiro de avaliação dos adolescentes.
Nowadays, body art is widespread, especially among adolescents. This qualitative study seeks to assess whether the use of body art interferes with how nursing assistants care for hospitalized adolescents and to identify factors that influence the perceptions of these health care providers. Nursing assistants working in an adolescent-specific ward were interviewed. After the analysis, dominant themes emerged from the narratives, allowing for a better understanding of how nursing assistants perceive tattoos and piercing. Some themes were recurrent, especially the association of body art with deviant behavior, erotic appeal, consumerism, courage, health risks, and psychic disorders. Religion and family values prevail over professional knowledge in how body marks are perceived. It may thus be inferred that a negative attitude toward body art is directly related to quality of care. The number of marks, their location, their type, and the definite/temporary character of tattoos and piercing interfere with the providers' interpretation. However, piercing and tattoos are important semiological tools and must be included in the script for the evaluation of adolescents.