Seeking Care for Long COVID: A Narrative Analysis of Canadian Experiences
The goal of this study was to explore the experiences of individuals seeking care for long COVID-19 in the Canadian healthcare system. Recorded virtual interviews were carried out with 8 participants and narrative analysis was used to examine the stories produced and identify the central narratives...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Patient Experience |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735231151770 |
| _version_ | 1797944071043416064 |
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| author | Julia Kaufmann BSc Odette Gould PhD Vett Lloyd PhD |
| author_facet | Julia Kaufmann BSc Odette Gould PhD Vett Lloyd PhD |
| author_sort | Julia Kaufmann BSc |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The goal of this study was to explore the experiences of individuals seeking care for long COVID-19 in the Canadian healthcare system. Recorded virtual interviews were carried out with 8 participants and narrative analysis was used to examine the stories produced and identify the central narratives that defined participants’ experiences. Care-seeking experiences were characterized by (1) often debilitating multi-system symptoms for which little information about prognosis was available and no effective treatments were provided, (2) compounded by the frustration of trying to convince family, friends, and health care practitioners of the legitimacy of their illness, (3) access to medical care was severely limited by the global pandemic and associated higher thresholds for care, (4) like others suffering from complex, multi-system conditions, people with long COVID are often struggling with a health-care system ill-suited for dealing with long-term and possibly chronic conditions. To make system-level improvements to better serve those with chronic conditions, it is critical that we understand the care-seeking experiences of chronic illness patients, including the unique experiences of those with long COVID. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T20:32:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5faea280c5a04266b0586b6040f7a0bd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2374-3743 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T20:32:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Patient Experience |
| spelling | doaj.art-5faea280c5a04266b0586b6040f7a0bd2023-01-25T05:07:22ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Patient Experience2374-37432023-01-011010.1177/23743735231151770Seeking Care for Long COVID: A Narrative Analysis of Canadian ExperiencesJulia Kaufmann BSc0Odette Gould PhD1Vett Lloyd PhD2 Department of Psychology, , Sackville, NB, Canada Department of Psychology, , Sackville, NB, Canada Department of Biology, , Sackville, NB, CanadaThe goal of this study was to explore the experiences of individuals seeking care for long COVID-19 in the Canadian healthcare system. Recorded virtual interviews were carried out with 8 participants and narrative analysis was used to examine the stories produced and identify the central narratives that defined participants’ experiences. Care-seeking experiences were characterized by (1) often debilitating multi-system symptoms for which little information about prognosis was available and no effective treatments were provided, (2) compounded by the frustration of trying to convince family, friends, and health care practitioners of the legitimacy of their illness, (3) access to medical care was severely limited by the global pandemic and associated higher thresholds for care, (4) like others suffering from complex, multi-system conditions, people with long COVID are often struggling with a health-care system ill-suited for dealing with long-term and possibly chronic conditions. To make system-level improvements to better serve those with chronic conditions, it is critical that we understand the care-seeking experiences of chronic illness patients, including the unique experiences of those with long COVID.https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735231151770 |
| spellingShingle | Julia Kaufmann BSc Odette Gould PhD Vett Lloyd PhD Seeking Care for Long COVID: A Narrative Analysis of Canadian Experiences Journal of Patient Experience |
| title | Seeking Care for Long COVID:
A Narrative Analysis of Canadian Experiences |
| title_full | Seeking Care for Long COVID:
A Narrative Analysis of Canadian Experiences |
| title_fullStr | Seeking Care for Long COVID:
A Narrative Analysis of Canadian Experiences |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seeking Care for Long COVID:
A Narrative Analysis of Canadian Experiences |
| title_short | Seeking Care for Long COVID:
A Narrative Analysis of Canadian Experiences |
| title_sort | seeking care for long covid a narrative analysis of canadian experiences |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735231151770 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT juliakaufmannbsc seekingcareforlongcovidanarrativeanalysisofcanadianexperiences AT odettegouldphd seekingcareforlongcovidanarrativeanalysisofcanadianexperiences AT vettlloydphd seekingcareforlongcovidanarrativeanalysisofcanadianexperiences |