ArticleBMJ open2021
Perceptions and experiences of healthcare providers during COVID-19 pandemic in Karachi, Pakistan: an exploratory qualitative study.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Stigmatization from Work-Related COVID-19 Exposure: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- The emotional cost of containment: a cross-sectional analysis of treatment effects among informal carers in South Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic.Global health action · 2025Article
- Experiencing stigmatization during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study among healthcare workers.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Stewarding COVID-19 health systems response in Pakistan: what more can be done for a primary health care approach to future pandemics?BMJ global health · 2025Review
- Primary Health Care Challenges in Managing Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases: A Comprehensive Literature Review.Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran · 2025Review
- Perceptions of lived in experiences of healthcare workers during COVID-19 Pandemic in a tertiary Care hospital: A perspective from Pakistan.Pakistan journal of medical sciences · 2024Article
- Assessment of COVID-19 management and its consequences on healthcare professionals: a cross-sectional study from Bangladesh.BMJ open · 2023Article
- Indian Healthcare Workers' Issues, Challenges, and Coping Strategies during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- How positive deviants helped in fighting the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic? A qualitative study exploring the roles of frontline health workers in Nepal.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Article
- Healthcare workers' experiences in caring for critically ill COVID-19 patients at a tertiary hospital in Malawi.Malawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi · 2022Article
- Perceived barriers to the process of COVID-19 control among frontline healthcare workers in South Korea: a qualitative study.BMJ open · 2022Article
- Making It Work: The Experiences of Delivering a Community Mental Health Service during the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Sustaining the Australian respiratory workforce through the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping literature review.Internal medicine journal · 2022Article
- Perceived risk and distress related to COVID-19 in healthcare versus non-healthcare workers of Pakistan: a cross-sectional study.Human resources for health · 2022Article
- Experiences of Work-Related Stress Among Female Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: A Qualitative Study in the United Arab of Emirates.Psychology research and behavior management · 2022Article
- A Bibliometric Analysis of Personal Protective Equipment and COVID-19 Researches.Frontiers in public health · 2022Review
- Family Physicians' Perceived Needs Regarding Their Mental Health and Wellbeing in Infectious Catastrophic Events: A Mixed Studies Literature Review.Journal of primary care & community healthReview
- Perceptions and experiences of healthcare professionals on the guideline of management and treatment of anemia among children under 3 years of age during the COVID-19 pandemic.Revista peruana de medicina experimental y salud publicaArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo explore healthcare provider's perspectives and experiences of the barriers and facilitators to treat and manage COVID-19 cases. DESIGN AND
settingWe conducted an exploratory qualitative study using a purposive sampling approach, at a private tertiary care teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Study data were analysed manually using the conventional content analysis technique.
participantsKey-informant interviews (KIIs) were conducted with senior management and hospital leadership and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with front-line healthcare providers.
resultsA total of 31 interviews (KIIs=19; IDIs=12) were conducted, between April and May 2020. Three overarching themes emerged. The first was 'challenges faced by front-line healthcare providers working in COVID-19 wards. Healthcare workers experienced increased anxiety due to the fear of acquiring infection and transmitting it to their family members. They felt overwhelmed due to the exhaustive donning and doffing process, intense work and stigmatisation. The second theme was 'enablers supporting healthcare providers to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic'. Front liners pointed out several enabling factors that supported hospital staff including a safe hospital environment, adequate training, a strong system of information sharing and supportive management. The third theme was 'recommendations to support the healthcare workforce during the COVID-19 crisis'. Healthcare workers recommended measures to mitigate current challenges including providing risk allowance to front-line healthcare providers, preparing a backup health workforce, and establishing a platform to address the mental health needs of the healthcare providers.
conclusionThis study provides an initial evidence base of healthcare providers' experiences of managing patients with COVID-19 in the early stage of the pandemic and highlights measures needed to address the encountered challenges. It offers lessons for hospitals in low-income and middle-income countries to ensure a safe working environment for front-line workers in their fight against COVID-19.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.