The vulnerabilities of the Brazilian health workforce during health emergencies: Analysing personal feelings, access to resources and work dynamics during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Gabriela Lotta, Michelle Fernandez and Marcela Corrêa

International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 2021, vol. 36, issue S1, 42-57

Abstract: Public health emergencies are a test of resilience for health systems, which depend on health workforces that are well managed and cared for. The COVID‐19 pandemic exposed the weakness of many health systems in preparing their health workforces. The crisis also exacerbated the unequal conditions between different professions, an issue that is still understudied in the workforce literature. This paper analyzes the consequences of the COVID‐19 pandemic for different health professionals, considering the ways in which Brazil's the health system does or does not protect them. We also analyse the role of pre‐existing inequalities between different professions and social groups within the workforce in shaping their different experiences of the pandemic. We present data comparing the perceptions of different health professionals facing the pandemic in Brazil: physicians, nurses, and community health workers. Data were collected in an online survey in Brazil with 1630 health care workers between June 15th and July 1st. Findings suggest that none of the professions felt well prepared to work under emergencies. However, differences relating to professional background were exacerbated during the pandemic, creating unequal conditions for different health workers. These inequalities may pose new challenges for the post‐pandemic scenario.

Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.3117

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:ijhplm:v:36:y:2021:i:s1:p:42-57

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.blackwell ... bs.asp?ref=0749-6753

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of Health Planning and Management is currently edited by Calum Paton

More articles in International Journal of Health Planning and Management from Wiley Blackwell
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().