In the light of any emergency medical crisis, health care workers are always put on front lines, offering up their lives for the welfare of the communities. They are the ones working in high-risk areas and are faced with significant psychological and emotional distress. Going on quarantine following exposure to COVID-19 cases can also be an unpleasant experience for some. The aim of this study was to explore the psychosocial effects and coping strategies of quarantined health care workers following exposure to COVID-19 cases in two(2) private hospitals in Isabela City, Basilan. Purposive sampling technique was employed in the study where a total of 11 respondents were recruited based on the eligibility criteria. The respondents took part in a 30-minute in depth interview for the data collection and data analysis was done through a thematic analysis patterned after the Collaizi’s approach. With the qualitative data after analysis, 8 themes and 13 sub-themes emerged that have been common among the recounts of the participants namely, Loneliness, Anxiety due to the nature of the disease, Fear of contracting and spreading the virus to family members, Emergence of obsessive thoughts, Conflict between fear and conscience, Conflict between professional duty and family obligation, Social conditions, and Coping Strategies. The data from this study showed that the health care workers experienced a spectrum of psychological distress during quarantine post-exposure to COVID-19 cases. To address the mental well-being of the health care workers during and after such event, understanding their experiences during quarantine is essential.

Keyword: Psychosocial experiences and coping strategies Quarantined health care workers