SASKATCHEWAN HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS’ EXPERIENCES AND PERCEPTIONS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: AN INTERPRETIVE DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

The pressures of the global SARS-Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic overwhelmed healthcare systems and healthcare workforces around the world including those in the Canadian prairie province of Saskatchewan (SK). Heavy workload, chronic short staffing and feeling undervalued by leadership contributed to a perceived decrease in the overall mental and physical health and well-being, resilience and career intentions of healthcare providers (HCPs). This qualitative study was part of a larger convergent mixed methods study that sought to explore the mental health and well-being, resiliency and career intentions of HCPs during the COVID-19 pandemic in SK. An interpretive descriptive research design was employed for this study and data were collected through semi‐structured interviews with 24 HCPs between May and August 2022. NVivo software was used to facilitate data management and data analysis was conducted using reflexive thematic analysis. The first theme identified was a Crushing situation of responsibility and circumstance. This theme detailed the level of responsibility shouldered by HCPs during the COVID-19 pandemic and encompassed three subthemes including: Feeling undervalued in the workplace, Doing more with less and Hopelessness: No light at the end of the tunnel. The second overarching theme was that of Receiving mixed messages which focused on the participants experiences and perceptions of provincial and health authority decision-making, leadership and pandemic policies. This study found that SK HCPs perceived an overall decline in their sense of mental and physical well-being and resilience and the majority of participants expressed some form of turnover intention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants expressed a lack of confidence in healthcare and provincial leadership and explained that there was an inconsistent direction from leadership during the pandemic. Improved staffing and workload as well as enhanced leadership communication and support strategies were identified as solutions that could potentially help improve well-being, resilience and career intentions among SK HCPs.