ABSTRACT
Background: COVID-19 is a disease that causes many people to get sick and die. Nurses were diagnosed with COVID-19 disease, and some nurses also died from this disease. The aim of this study is to examine the life experiences of nurses diagnosed with COVID-19. Methods: This research was conducted with the qualitative research method. The data were collected using a semi-structured interview form using the in-depth interview technique. The study was conducted with 22 people until the data repeat occurred. Seven categories were determined as a result of the analysis of this research. Results: These categories are as follows: Changes in your life after being infected with the disease, changes in working life, perspective on the disease, strategy to cope with the epidemic, contamination status, attitude of the environment and post-illness symptoms. Conclusion: It has been found that nurses take more preventive measures after the illness, take the disease more seriously, follow the mask rule, distance rule and hygiene rules more, and are exposed to stigma by the society due to their profession.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Comparative data on hydroxychloroquine and favipiravir, commonly used agents in the treatment of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19), are still limited. In this study, it was aimed to compare treatment outcomes in healthcare workers with COVID-19 who were prospectively followed by the occupational health and safety unit. METHODS: A total of 237 healthcare-workers, diagnosed as mild or moderate COVID-19 between March 11, 2020 and January 1, 2021, were given hydroxychloroquine (n = 114) or favipiravir (n = 123). Clinical and laboratory findings were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 33.4±11.5 years. The mean time to negative PCR was found to be significantly shorter in patients receiving favipiravir compared to the hydroxychloroquine group (10.9 vs. 13.9 days; p < 0.001). The rate of hospitalization in the hydroxychloroquine group was significantly higher than favipiravir group (15.8% vs. 3.3%). In terms of side effects; the frequency of diarrhea in patients receiving hydroxychloroquine was significantly higher than that in the favipiravir group (31.6% vs. 6.5%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Favipiravir and hydroxychloroquine were similar in terms of improvement of clinical symptoms of healthcare workers with mild or moderate COVID-19 infection, but favipiravir was significantly more effective in reducing viral load and hospitalization rates. Furthermore, favipiravir caused significantly less side-effects than hydroxychloroquine.