Explanation process of home care for patients with COVID-19 in Iran; A grounded theory study.

BACKGROUND: The epidemics had effects on psychological, social, and economic conditions and has caused changes in the health service. The experience of caring for patients with acute respiratory diseases shows that the evaluation and care of these patients is expensive and requires a lot of facilities and manpower Therefore, this study was conducted to explain the process of home care in patients with COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted during the years 2021-2023 by building a conceptual model using the grounded theory approach. The participants were purposefully selected among the patients with COVID-19 who had experienced home care. To collect data, semi-structured and in-depth individual interviews were used, and to analyze the interviews, five stages of analysis based on continuous comparison were used; Open coding, development of concepts according to their characteristics and dimensions, data analysis for context, entering the process into the analysis and integration of classes were used. To verify the data, the strategies of reliability, transferability, verifiability, consolidation, and reflectivity were used. RESULTS: 16 participants participated in this study and a total of 18 interviews were conducted. The interview was conducted for 12 months in the year 2022 and the time of the interviews lasted an average 60 minutes. In the analysis of the interviews, 4 main themes; Contextual factors, causal factors, strategies, and consequences were extracted, using which the conceptual model was designed. CONCLUSION: Care provided by informal home requires informed and planned support. The health system should prioritize self-care and care of sick people during epidemics, and health promotion experts should continuously provide necessary training according to the conditions of communicable diseases in society.