Implications for long COVID: A systematic review and meta-aggregation of experience of patients diagnosed with COVID-19

This review aims to synthesize the available evidence of what patients experience when infected with COVID-19, both in hospital and post-discharge settings.

This review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for qualitative systematic reviews and evidence synthesis. Reporting of results was presented according to the Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research (ENTREQ) checklist.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to be a public health crisis worldwide. Many patients diagnosed with COVID-19 have varied levels of persisting mental disorders. Previous studies have reported the degree, prevalence and outcome of psychological problems. Minimal research explored the experience of patients with long COVID. The real-life experience of patients with COVID-19 from diagnosis to post-discharge can deepen the understanding of nurses, physicians and policymakers.

All studies describing the experience of patients were included. Two authors independently appraised the methodological quality of the included studies using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research 2020.

This systematic review aggregated patients' experience of being diagnosed with COVID-19 in both hospitalized and post-discharge settings. Finally, 17 studies met inclusion criteria and quality appraisal guidelines. The selected studies in the meta-synthesis resulted in 12 categories, and further were concluded as five synthesized findings: physical symptoms caused by the virus, positive and negative emotional responses to the virus, positive coping strategies as facilitators of epidemic prevention and control, negative coping strategies as obstacles of epidemic prevention and control, and unmet needs for medical resource.

The psychological burden of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 is heavy and persistent. Social support is essential in the control and prevention of the epidemic. Nurses and other staff should pay more attention to the mental health of the infected patients both in and after hospitalization.

Nurses should care about the persistent mental trauma of COVID-19 survivors and provide appropriate psychological interventions to mitigate the negative psychological consequences of them. Besides, nurses, as healthcare professionals who may have the most touch with patients, should evaluate the level of social support and deploy it for them. It is also needed for nurses to listen to patient's needs and treat them with carefulness and adequate patience in order to decrease the unmet needs of patients.