A junior doctor's experience of critical illness: from treating patients to becoming a patient with COVID‐19. Issue 1 (10th June 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ramachandran, S.
• Is Part Of: Anaesthesia reports. Volume 8:Issue 1(2020)
• Page Start: 59
• Page End: 62
• Publication Date: 2020-06-10
• Subjects: ARDS -- hypoxaemia -- patient care -- quality measures -- ventilator management; Anesthesiology -- Periodicals; 617.9605
• DOI: 10.1002/anr3.12052
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2637-3726

Abstract

Summary: When the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic was declared, it was clear that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) would have far‐reaching impacts on medicine, society and everyday life. As a junior doctor working closely with patients with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, I was aware of my personal risk of exposure to the virus. I assumed that as a fit and well 26‐year‐old with no comorbidities, if I were to become infected, it was unlikely that COVID‐19 would be severe. However, I became critically unwell following a week of clinical work, necessitating hospital admission, tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. I remained mechanically ventilated for 6 days and was then transferred to a medical ward 2 days later. After two further days of rehabilitation, I was discharged home. This reflection is not a junior doctor's view of how COVID‐19 was managed by the NHS, but a personal view of my illness from 'the other side of the curtain'. My reflections focus upon the psychological aspects of my experiences, exploring the memories that I formed around the time of critical care, how the fears that I possessed were managed with exceptional communication, and the importance of the wider healthcare team in my recovery.