TABLE 3.
Focus Group Excerpts: Workarounds and Trade‐Offs
| Workarounds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Creative Solution | Excerpts | Country |
| Outdoor rounds | “Previously we used to do grand ward rounds at the bedside, so with all the oncologist fellows nursing staff and so through this time we haven't done them at the bedside, but we have done them socially distanced either outside or in reception area.” | South Africa |
| Decorating masks | “The masks children wore were decorated with toys, shapes and colors. Actually, at first, the patient was putting on a mask. He was the only one in family to wear a mask… They see everyone wearing masks, which encourage them to wear masks. It was bothering for them to wear masks alone. At first, it was challenging. Now everyone wears the mask, and it is familiar.” | Egypt |
| “Internet hospital” | “Nowadays, we introduce the e‐hospital for consultation of the patient or offering some medical services and assistance. In our e‐hospital, we give support and consulting online. Due to reduced patients, some guidelines are accessible in our e‐hospital when some doctors work from home. We encourage our doctors to give consultation and advice in our e‐ hospitals. It can then reduce the risk of cross‐infection when they come to the hospital and relieve some of their psychological worries.” | China |
| Made hand sanitizer in the hospital | “Fortunately, at the hospital level, at the pharmacy level we already knew how to prepare a hydroalcoholic gel and we just kept on doing it but increasing the quantity to prepare, so our consumption tripled and quadrupled.” | Haiti |
| Laundry and food delivery services for patients | “The leadership allowed them to wash their close at the hospital too, to prevent exposure of the parents if they had to go out and get it done. At the beginning, parents would go downstairs to the laundry service, but we knew the virus moves when people move, so it was decided that parents stayed with their children and the technical staff would recollect their dirty clothes, and return it clean.” | Peru |
| Monthly mental health meetings for patients and families | “She [patient navigator] has been having a monthly mental health meeting with the patients. And through those meetings she has been inviting the patients and through different lectures and as well as updates of how the patients are feeling during this time of pandemic.” | Philippines |
| Child life playrooms turned into “worry free zones” for staff | “So, earlier the area which was used as a play area for the kids we converted it into a worry‐free zone where the nursing staff, the housekeeping staff, the doctor, the residents could come in throughout the day and spend the time and you know, do some art activities. We had like childhood games over there. So, they could come and release their stress in that area.” | Pakistan |
| Scales sent home with patients for weight checks | “Another good thing that came out were, you know, patients were coming back just for weight changes. I mean, for just to check their weight. And so, scales were sent home with families or delivered to housing.” | United States |
| Danced as a greeting instead of hugging | “Personally, what I tried was to replace the hug with a handshake, we say it's an elbow kiss, I did little dances with patients. There was a patient who asked me not to be admitted and then I ended up not admitting her and she was dancing, and I went dancing with her. Trying to keep what we have of bonding but in another way.” | Brazil |
| Colored hospital zones | “These zones are determined by the probability of COVID‐19 happening. There are three zones: green, yellow, and red… And these zones determine the PPE level that we use.” | Indonesia |
| Trade‐Offs (Excerpts) | ||
| “In some respects, the changes have been positive on the patients…when COVID started we're seeing fewer patients and we're spending more time per patient.” (Uganda) | ||
| “I think it is about healthy living habits, wearing masks even though I do not feel so optimistic about [people wearing masks] as much as about hand washing because people feel the benefit of hand washing…. I think this COVID‐19 teaches people that we cannot take illnesses lightly.” (Indonesia) | ||
| “The virtual meetings, even after the return of office meetings. And that's definitely going to make it easier for senior staff. Attending international meetings from their place and costing less. And I also think that the educational part. Very improved for senior staff. And that's one of the things that's going to go on.” (Egypt) | ||
| “On the positive side COVID‐19 has taught people to practice hand hygiene like maybe like when you come in the ward the first thing that you think of is washing hands.” (Zambia) | ||
| “I think that together with the nursing staff we're more alert to detect symptoms not just only associated with COVID, so that makes us be more alert.” (Mexico) | ||
| “COVID has probably taught us, you know, how to manage with the fewer resources. It has probably led us to look for new ways to reduce costs.” (India) | ||
Abbreviations: COVID, coronavirus disease; COVID‐19, coronavirus disease 2019.