Redeployment of Health Care Workers in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Health System Leaders' Strategies.
COVID-19
/ epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Delivery of Health Care
/ organization & administration
Health Personnel
/ organization & administration
Humans
Leadership
New Zealand
/ epidemiology
Pandemics
Qualitative Research
Republic of Korea
/ epidemiology
Singapore
/ epidemiology
United Kingdom
/ epidemiology
United States
/ epidemiology
Journal
Journal of patient safety
ISSN: 1549-8425
Titre abrégé: J Patient Saf
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 101233393
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
01 06 2021
01 06 2021
Historique:
pubmed:
3
4
2021
medline:
21
5
2021
entrez:
2
4
2021
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
This study aimed to determine the strategies used and critical considerations among an international sample of hospital leaders when mobilizing human resources in response to the clinical demands associated with the COVID-19 pandemic surge. This was a cross-sectional, qualitative research study designed to investigate strategies used by health system leaders from around the world when mobilizing human resources in response to the global COVD-19 pandemic. Prospective interviewees were identified through nonprobability and purposive sampling methods from May to July 2020. The primary outcomes were the critical considerations, as perceived by health system leaders, when redeploying health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic determined through thematic analysis of transcribed notes. Redeployment was defined as reassigning personnel to a different location or retraining personnel for a different task. Nine hospital leaders from 9 hospitals in 8 health systems located in 5 countries (United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Korea) were interviewed. Six hospitals in 5 health systems experienced a surge of critically ill patients with COVID-19, and the remaining 3 hospitals anticipated, but did not experience, a similar surge. Seven of 8 hospitals redeployed their health care workforce, and 1 had a redeployment plan in place but did not need to use it. Thematic analysis of the interview notes identified 3 themes representing effective practices and lessons learned when preparing and executing workforce redeployment: process, leadership, and communication. Critical considerations within each theme were identified. Because of the various expertise of redeployed personnel, retraining had to be customized and a decentralized flexible strategy was implemented. There were 3 concerns regarding redeployed personnel. These included the fear of becoming infected, the concern over their skills and patient safety, and concerns regarding professional loss (such as loss of education opportunities in their chosen profession). Transparency via multiple different types of communications is important to prevent the development of doubt and rumors. Redeployment strategies should critically consider the process of redeploying and supporting the health care workforce, decentralized leadership that encourages and supports local implementation of system-wide plans, and communication that is transparent, regular, consistent, and informed by data.
Identifiants
pubmed: 33797460
doi: 10.1097/PTS.0000000000000847
pii: 01209203-202106000-00003
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
256-263Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
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