Dataset Information

Perceptions of postoutbreak management by management and healthcare workers of a Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in a tertiary care hospital: a qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

This study examines perceptions of the operational and organisational management of a major outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) caused by a novel coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Perspectives were sought from key decision-makers and clinical staff about the factors perceived to promote and inhibit effective and rapid control of the outbreak.

Setting

A large teaching tertiary healthcare centre in KSA; the outbreak lasted 6?weeks from June 2015.

Participants

Data were collected via individual and focus group interviews with 28 key informant participants (9 management decision-makers and 19 frontline healthcare workers).

Design

We used qualitative methods of process evaluation to examine perceptions of the outbreak and the factors contributing to, or detracting from successful management. Data were analysed using qualitative thematic content analysis.

Results

Five themes and 15 subthemes were found. The themes were related to: (1) the high stress of the outbreak, (2) factors perceived to contribute to outbreak occurrence, (3) factors perceived to contribute to success of outbreak control, (4) factors inhibiting outbreak control and (5) long-term institutional gains in response to the outbreak management.

Conclusion

Management of the MERS-CoV outbreak at King Abdulaziz Medical City-Riyadh was widely recognised by staff as a serious outbreak of local and national significance. While the outbreak was controlled successfully in 6 weeks, progress in management was inhibited by a lack of institutional readiness to implement infection control (IC) measures and reduce patient flow, low staff morale and high anxiety. Effective management was promoted by greater involvement of all staff in sharing learning and knowledge of the outbreak, developing trust and teamwork and harnessing collective leadership. Future major IC crises could be improved via measures to strengthen these areas, better coordination of media management and proactive staff counselling and support.

SUBMITTER: Al Knawy BA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6502063 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Perceptions of postoutbreak management by management and healthcare workers of a Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in a tertiary care hospital: a qualitative study.

Al Knawy Bandar Abdulmohsen BA Al-Kadri Hanan M F HMF Elbarbary Mahmoud M Arabi Yaseen Y Balkhy Hanan H HH Clark Alex A

BMJ open 20190505 5

<h4>Objectives</h4>This study examines perceptions of the operational and organisational management of a major outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) caused by a novel coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Perspectives were sought from key decision-makers and clinical staff about the factors perceived to promote and inhibit effective and rapid control of the outbreak.<h4>Setting</h4>A large teaching tertiary healthcare centre in KSA; the outbreak lasted 6 week ...[more]

PMID: 31061009

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Project description:Objectives Stillbirth is an important and yet relatively unacknowledged public health concern in many parts of the world. Public awareness of stillbirth and its potentially modifiable risk factors is a prerequisite to planning prevention measures. Cultural and regional differences may play an important role in awareness and attitudes to stillbirth prevention. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the awareness of stillbirth among hospital staff in Qatar and the UK, representing two culturally different regions. Study design An online population survey for anonymous completion was sent to the hospital email accounts of all grades of staff (clinical and non-clinical) at two hospitals in Qatar and one tertiary hospital Trust in the UK. The survey was used to gather information on the participants' demographic background, the experience of stillbirth, knowledge of stillbirth, awareness of information and support sources, as well as attitude towards investigation and litigation. Data were analysed using descriptive and comparative statistics (Chi-Square test and Fisher's exact test). Results 1002 respondents completed the survey, including 349 in the Qatar group and 653 in the UK group. There were significant differences in group demographics in terms of language, religion, gender, nationality and experience of stillbirth. The groups also differed significantly in the knowledge of stillbirth, its incidence and risk factors. The two groups took different views on apportioning blame on healthcare services in cases of stillbirth. The Qatar group showed significantly less awareness of available support organisations and relied significantly more on online sources of information for stillbirths (p < 0.001). Conclusions This comparative study demonstrated significant differences between the two culturally distinct regions in the awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards stillbirths. The complex cultural and other factors that may be contributory should be further studied. The results highlight the need for increasing public awareness around stillbirth as part of effective prevention strategies.

Dataset Information

Perceptions of postoutbreak management by management and healthcare workers of a Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in a tertiary care hospital: a qualitative study.

Objectives

Setting

Participants

Design

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Perceptions of postoutbreak management by management and healthcare workers of a Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in a tertiary care hospital: a qualitative study.

Similar Datasets

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