Evolution of the Public-Health Response to COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

Miguel Rodriguez-Arrastia, Manuel García-Martín, Ana Romero-López, Carmen Ropero-Padilla, Cristofer Ruiz-Gonzalez, Pablo Roman and Nuria Sanchez-Labraca
Additional contact information
Miguel Rodriguez-Arrastia: Faculty of Health Sciences, Pre-Department of Nursing, Jaume I University, Av. Sos Baynat, 12071 Castello de la Plana, Spain
Manuel García-Martín: Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing Science, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain
Ana Romero-López: Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing Science, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain
Carmen Ropero-Padilla: Faculty of Health Sciences, Pre-Department of Nursing, Jaume I University, Av. Sos Baynat, 12071 Castello de la Plana, Spain
Cristofer Ruiz-Gonzalez: Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing Science, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain
Pablo Roman: Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing Science, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain
Nuria Sanchez-Labraca: Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing Science, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: The capacity of hospitals and primary care centres has, rightfully, been at the centre of public and political debate on resource availability and control measures during the outbreak of COVID-19 and lockdown. Thus, the aim of this study is to describe the public and professional perceptions towards the evolution of the COVID-19 public-health response, in order to analyse and learn lessons for future health policies in similar situations in the future. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted through 41 in-depth interviews between January and June 2021. Twenty-one healthcare professionals and twenty service users participated in our study. The participants were recruited using purposive sampling. After our data analysis, three main themes emerged: (i) experiences during an unprecedented public health threat: the impact and challenges of early control measures, and outcomes for the public image of nursing; (ii) overcoming the impact of the outbreak on the healthcare system: professional coping strategies in the context of the pandemic, and institutional considerations in hospitals and primary care; and (iii) the efficiency of resource management during the outbreak: perceptions of professionals and healthcare users. Health providers and service users demand structural and organisational changes, as well as resource-optimisation strategies for front-line workers. Nurses need to be involved in decision making in order to provide evidence-based guidelines and ensure well-resourced and supported care practice.

Keywords: COVID-19; health personnel; nursing; patients; qualitative research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/7/3824/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/7/3824/ (text/html)

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:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:7:p:3824-:d:777882

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().