Lived experiences and perceptions of COVID-19 survivors, caregivers and frontline health workers on the COVID 19 disease in Kabale District

Abstract

The study's main goal was to understand how COVID 19 victims, their caregivers, and primary healthcare providers in Kabale district experienced and perceived home-based care, in order to help the district taskforce for COVID 19 and the national a task force improve their pandemic response plans. The study was guided by the specific objectives which include; identifying the perceptions of COVID-19 survivors on risks, fears and characteristics of COVID-19 disease, the perceptions of COVID 19 home-based caregivers on COVID 19 disease, the lived experiences of home-based care of COVID-19 survivors, their caregivers and frontline health workers in Kabale district, and the perceptions of frontline health workers on COVID 19 pandemic response in Kabale district. A qualitative study design with a descriptive phenomenological methodology, were adopted to explore the lived experiences of COVID-19 survivors, frontline health workers, caregivers, and home-based caregivers. On the COVID-19's onset, testing, and development, all 59 individuals who participated tested positive for COVID-19; 40 of them were homebased employees at the time of their positive test, while 19 of them were not, but they were still taking precautions like frequently donning masks, frequently washing their hands, avoiding social situations, isolating themselves from others, and drinking clean water. It was found that caregivers had to keep watching and caring for the patients, preparing hot drinks, giving medication at night, paying maximum attention and ensuring the patients took medication, feeding the patient right diet, washing cloths and other chores for the patients, making contacts with the family of the isolated patients. The home-based care givers reported daily practices as ensuring hygiene and clean environment.