Hospital Resilience to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Five Countries: A Multiple Case Study.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, hospitals have been central to the COVID-19 response, often experiencing severe financial, material, and human constraints. In this special issue, we present some of the findings of the HoSPiCOVID research project. One of its main objectives was to compare hospital responses to the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, Canada, France, Japan, and Mali.

Supporting Reassigned Hospital Staff During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Montreal Region: What Does it say About Leadership Styles?

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic took a high toll on health human resources, especially in contexts where these resources were already fragile. In Quebec, to make up for the shortage of health human resources, and to contain the COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities, many hospital staff (including a majority of nurses) were sent to those facilities, with varying degrees of support. Building on the body of evidence linking leadership style and resilience, we conducted a qualitative comparative analysis of two hospitals in the Montreal Metropolitan Area, Quebec.

Lessons Learned from Field Experiences on Hospitals' Resilience to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Approach.

In this concluding article of the special issue, we examine lessons learned from hospitals' resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, Canada, France, Japan, and Mali. A quality lesson learned (QLL) results from a systematic process of collecting, compiling, and analyzing data derived ideally from sustained effort over the life of a research project and reflecting both positive and negative experiences. To produce QLLs as part of this research project, a guide to their development was drafted.

Communication and Information Strategies Implemented by Four Hospitals in Brazil, Canada, and France to Deal with COVID-19 Healthcare-Associated Infections.

During the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, COVID-19 healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and risk management became major challenges facing hospitals. Using evidence from a research project, this commentary presents: 1) various communication and information strategies implemented by four hospitals and their staff in Brazil, Canada and France to reduce the risks of COVID-19 HAIs, and how they were perceived by hospital staff; 2) the flaws in communication in the hospitals; and 3) a proposed agenda for research on and action to improve institutional communications for future pandemics. By analyzing "top-down" strategies at the organizational level and spontaneous strategies initiated by and between professionals, this study shows that during the first waves of the pandemic, reliable information and clear communication about guidelines and health protocols' changes can help alleviate fears among staff and avoid misapplication of protocols, thereby reducing infection risks.

[Interprofessional exchanges during COVID-19 at the Bichat Claude-Bernard Hospital: insights for research].

The management of the COVID-19 epidemic has disrupted the organization of healthcare in hospitals. As part of a research project on the resilience of hospitals and their staff to the COVID-19 pandemic (HoSPiCOVID), we have documented their adaptation strategies in five countries (France, Mali, Brazil, Canada, Japan). In France, at the end of the first wave (June 2020), a team of researchers and health professionals from the Bichat Claude-Bernard Hospital organized focus groups to acknowledge these achievements and to share their experiences.

Hospital Governance During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multiple-Country Case Study.

In response to the disruptions caused by COVID-19, hospitals around the world proactively or reactively developed and/or re-organized their governance structures to manage the COVID-19 response. Hospitals' governance played a crucial role in their ability to reorganize and respond to the pressing needs of their staff. We discuss and compare six hospital cases from four countries on different continents: Brazil, Canada, France, and Japan.

Adapting Hospital Work During COVID-19 in Quebec (Canada).

Among hospital responses to the COVID19 pandemic worldwide, service reorganization and staff reassignment have been some of the most prominent ways of adapting hospital work to the expected influx of patients. In this article, we examine work reorganization induced by the pandemic by identifying the operational strategies implemented by two hospitals and their staff to contend with the crisis and then analyzing the implications of those strategies. We base our description and analysis on two hospital case studies in Quebec.

Adaptation and Response of a Major Parisian Referral Hospital to the COVID-19 Surge: A Qualitative Study.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, few studies have focused on crisis management of multiple services within one hospital over several waves of the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of the COVID-19 crisis response of a Parisian referral hospital which managed the first three COVID cases in France and to analyze its resilience capacities. Between March 2020 and June 2021, we conducted observations, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and lessons learned workshops.

Lessons Learned From the Resilience of Chinese Hospitals to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Scoping Review.

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has brought substantial strain on hospitals worldwide; however, although the success of China's COVID-19 strategy has been attributed to the achievements of the government, public health officials, and the attitudes of the public, the resilience shown by China's hospitals appears to have been a critical factor in their successful response to the pandemic.

Objective: This paper aims to determine the key findings, recommendations, and lessons learned in terms of hospital resilience during the pandemic; analyze the quality and limitations of research in this field at present; and contribute to the evaluation of the Chinese response to the COVID-19 outbreak, building on a growing literature on the role of hospital resilience in crisis situations.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review of evidence on the resilience of hospitals in China during the COVID-19 crisis in the first half of 2020.

Findings from a scoping review.

Objective: This scoping review aimed to identify how equity has been considered in large-scale infectious disease testing initiatives.

Study Design And Setting: Large-scale testing interventions are instrumental for infectious disease control and a central tool for the coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. We searched Web of Science: core collection, Embase and Medline in June 2021 and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses recommendations for scoping reviews.

Learning from public health and hospital resilience to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: protocol for a multiple case study (Brazil, Canada, China, France, Japan, and Mali).

Background: All prevention efforts currently being implemented for COVID-19 are aimed at reducing the burden on strained health systems and human resources. There has been little research conducted to understand how SARS-CoV-2 has affected health care systems and professionals in terms of their work. Finding effective ways to share the knowledge and insight between countries, including lessons learned, is paramount to the international containment and management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Accounting for health inequities in the design of contact tracing interventions: A rapid review.

Background: Contact tracing has been a central control measure for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission. However, without consideration of the needs of specific populations, public health interventions can exacerbate health inequities.

Aim: The purpose of this rapid review was to determine if and how health inequities were included in the design of contact tracing interventions in epidemic settings.