Resilience among primary care professionals in a time of pandemic: a qualitative study in the Spanish context

OBJECTIVES: This study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Spanish primary care structure and services and the mechanisms implemented by the primary care workforce to restore and reinforce their reference care model. DESIGN: An exploratory, qualitative study with semistructured interviews and a focus group discussion conducted during the fall semester of 2020. SETTING: Primary health centres in Madrid (Spain), chosen based on factors such as infection rates during the earliest stages of the pandemic and demographic and socioeconomic aspects. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 19 primary health and social care professionals were purposively selected. Criteria for inclusion were gender (male/female), at least 5 years of experience in their current position, category (health/social/administrative worker), and whether they worked in a rural or urban healthcare setting. RESULTS: Two main themes were identified: (1) reflecting on a model in crisis—particularly the reopening of centres to users and the proactive, participative strategies implemented by primary care professionals to reach their community; and (2) regaining a sense of purpose—how healthcare professionals implemented strategies to sustain their vision of their reference model. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed leadership deficiencies that, together with the initial unavailability of resources and difficulties maintaining face-to-face contact with users, triggered a sense of loss of professional identity. On the other hand, the analysis revealed potential strategies to restore and reinforce the traditional model, such as the adoption of digital technologies and reliance on community networks. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of a solid reference framework and enhances the strengths and skills of the workforce to reinforce the community-based service provision model.