Nursing Management at a Honduran Public Hospital during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: A hospital management model is the set of policies and processes that allow assertive decision making. During the COVID-19 pandemic, health systems worldwide required reorganization to respond to the emerging needs. However, there is no record of such process in Honduras.

Objective: To explore the experiences of nursing professionals concerning the management of services at Hospital Mario Catarino Rivas during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: An interpretative phenomenological study was conducted on the experiences of nursing professionals concerning the management of services at Hospital Mario Catarino Rivas during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were collected using semistructured interviews with 20 nursing professionals in head positions, as a result of a deliberate sampling. The data were analyzed using the thematic method, with clustering of narratives and following the seven steps of Colaizzi's perspective.

Results: Three themes, 7 subthemes and 30 concepts were found. In addition, the overall quality of the management model used to respond to the difficulties presented during the COVID-19 pandemic was found. Among the main challenges, "lack of human resources" to respond to patient demand was found.

Conclusions: During COVID-19, the important role of the nursing professional in managerial positions to mitigate the economic impact on the Honduran health system and to guarantee the quality of life of patients is evident. It is necessary to open spaces with greater responsibility, with legal support to strengthen advanced practice.