Resilience of Healthcare Systems in the face of COVID-19: an experience report

OBJECTIVE: to report the professional experience of a nurse manager facing the challenges of restructuring a hospital service in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: this is an experience report, based on the perspective of system resilience in a public hospital. RESULTS: the challenges faced were: internal service flow reorganization to assist suspected cases of COVID-19; institution of structural changes and adaptations, from entry into the emergency room to the wards and intensive care unit; equipment and supply acquisition for patient care with a focus on their quality and functionality; staff training, with the restructuring of work processes; staff sizing, considering the time of exposure to the virus; staff’s professional qualification, absenteeism, stress, physical and psychological illness, with a view to safe and quality care; nursing staff leadership to deal with conflicts generated by professionals’ stress and illness. CONCLUSION: healthcare service resilience is critical for hospital restructuring in the COVID-19 pandemic; however, patient care and healthcare professionals’ physical and mental health must be considered.