A Qualitative Study of the Experience of COVID-19 Patients in Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, the health system is characterized by systemic insufficient and antiquated health-care infrastructures. Consequently, few health-care establishments have the required resources to diagnose and manage patients with COVID-19, and fewer still have intensive care facilities for severely ill patients with COVID. Furthermore, there is a widespread scarcity of qualified health-care staff. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of patients with COVID-19 who recovered after being cared for in Bobo Dioulasso and Ouagadougou. Using individual semistructured interviews, we performed a cross-sectional qualitative, descriptive study from June 12 to 30, 2020 with the aid of 13 well-educated patients who had survived COVID-19. The results reveal that prior to hospital admission, the main reason that prompted patients to seek care was onset of symptoms of COVID-19, regardless of whether they had been in contact with suspected or confirmed cases. Transmission was mainly believed to have occurred in the community, in the hospital, and during travel. Patient management was punctuated by frequent self-medication with medicinal plants or pharmaceutical drugs. The participants reported a negative perception of hospitalization or home-based management, with several forms of stigmatization, but a positive perception influenced by the satisfactory quality of management in health-care centers. This report of patient experiences could be helpful in improving the management of COVID-19 in Burkina Faso, both in the health-care setting and in home-based care.