Developing integrated guidelines for health care workers in hospital and primary healthcare facilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs)

Abstract

COVID-19 has placed an enormous burden on health systems globally. In response to the demands of the pandemic, there has been an urgent need to capacity build HCWs (e.g., nurses, doctors, community health workers, and others) to reduce nosocomial transmission, strengthen triage systems, and rapidly identify cases to break chains of transmission in the community. The World Health Organization (WHO) has produced technical guidance documents for patient management, risk communication, infection control, etc. However, the guidance does not address health system challenges or implementation difficulties in resource-constrained settings such as LMICs. Further, while guidance provides valuable information for HCWs it must be complemented with training to ensure protocolization and uptake into practice. This is particularly important in the context of COVID-19, which has been hallmarked by waves of infections, resource scarcity, and growing stigma.

Description

Keywords

COVID-19 RESPONSE, HEALTH SYSTEM, HEALTH WORKERS, LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES, GLOBAL

Citation

DOI