Women's Experiences of Symptoms of Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 Illness During the Pandemic.
Katherine South, Suzanne Bakken, Theresa Koleck and 3 others
PMID 36265561WHAT IT FOUND
Women reported symptoms and distress even without confirmed COVID.
Those with suspected or confirmed illness did not report more pandemic exposure or family impact than those without, and many still had fatigue, anxiety, or caregiving strain.
Key findings
01Only 2 participants had a confirmed diagnosis, 7 had a likely case, and 19 had neither.
02Twenty-seven participants reported mental health consequences of the pandemic.
03Women with suspected or confirmed illness did not differ from women without in reported exposure or family impact.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 28 women were recruited from one citizen science app, and 85% lived in the U.S. Northeast, so the sample is narrow. Only 2 participants had a confirmed diagnosis, so the study cannot separate confirmed infection from other symptom causes. Recruitment was in English, and no interviews were conducted in Spanish, so non-English women's experiences were missed. Data were collected before delta and omicron surges, in an early pandemic epicenter, and from app users, so other settings may differ. The study describes self-reported experiences and does not test whether any treatment or tracking method improves outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that suspected or confirmed illness caused worse family impact than no diagnosis. The study found no significant difference in exposure or family impact scores between the groups.