The reactions of hospital patients left stranded by hospital closures from the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to clearly record through interviews the mental reactions of hospital patients felt after their hospital was closed because of the COVID-19 virus. Patients felt financial constraints as well as loneliness from being separated from their families. In the early days of the virus expansion, reckless news reporting spread fear throughout this group. They became the subject of terrible rumors after leaving the hospitals. On the other hand, some of these patients began to band together to deal with these problems and encourage each other leading to many of them using electronic social media for the first time. It is necessary for nurses to be aware of the inconveniences of hospital life and the mental toll it takes on the patients.