Resilience During Covid – a Qualitative Study on the Experience of Rural Hospital Healthcare Workers

Abstract AIMSThe purpose and aims of this study were to explore the existing resilience beliefs amongst a range of healthcare staff in a rural Irish hospital during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to ascertain whether this cohort developed enhanced resilience following this experience. METHODSQualitative semi-structured interviews were carried out with a cohort of hospital staff who worked on a designated covid ward during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. An interview guide was employed to facilitate consistent and analogous data. An interpretative phenomenological approach was used for data analysis yielding themes and sub-themes.RESULTSWhile participants highlighted a number of personal and professional difficulties, positive experiences were also described, including enhanced team work and inter-professional dynamics. Workers utilised a number of affirmative strategies to foster resilience development, and twelve out of thirteen study participants (92%) acknowledged an overall improvement in their perceived resilience skills following their experiences.CONCLUSIONThis study found that a subset of healthcare workers on the frontline of a rural Irish hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, from a variety of hospital-based roles, employed similar methods to bolster resilience as individuals. The study highlighted areas of improvement in the workplace which could enhance personal and workplace/hospital resilience, including improved lines of communication, and improved staffing.