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IN THEIR OWN WORDS

By Colleen Donnelly
Illustration: Jasu Hu

To date, more than 20 clinical papers and presentations have come out of the CHAMPS study, adding to the growing body of research looking at the experiences and long-term effects of COVID-19 on health care workers and first responders.

One of the most moving publications focused on vulnerability, loss and coping experiences of front-line workers during the pandemic. Authored by 10 �������� Nursing professors, the paper appeared in a 2022 issue of the International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being.

It includes a number of firsthand accounts from health care professionals, first responders and essential personnel in health care facilities who worked with individuals with COVID-19. The bulk of respondents were nursing staff, but also included police officers, X-ray technicians, physical therapists and EMTs.

Each of these participants responded to the main CHAMPS survey and indicated they would be willing to be contacted for a follow-up interview to talk about their experiences. “In some cases, the interviews would go on for an hour,” says lead author Suzanne C. Smeltzer, EdD, RN, ANEF, FAAN, professor emerita of Nursing Research. “This was early on in the pandemic, and so people were reeling from what was going on around them.”