Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on the Well-Being of Healthcare Workers in a South African Haemodialysis Facility

Abstract

The aim of the study is to determine the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the well-being of clinical haemodialysis healthcare workers of an organization specializing in renal care and dialysis. This qualitative study made use of purposive sampling. Online semi-structured with in-depth interviews were conducted with nine clinical haemodialysis healthcare workers from a private dialysis facility. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that well-being was negatively impacted during the pandemic due to the fear of infecting others with the virus. This affected all aspects of their lives from the workplace to personal life, and to their community and religious/spiritual beliefs. Social distancing and the nature of their job deprived participants of social and emotional support. Some of the stress factors to wellbeing were stigmatization, isolation, lack of recognition, and inadequate availability of resources (e.g., safe transportation, training, and shortage of staff).