Management of institutional processes in a secondary public hospital to combat the 2019 pandemic

Abstract

The aim was to analyze the management of institutional processes in a secondary public hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Documentary study, with a qualitative approach, in a secondary hospital, in the northern region of Paraná, a reference for COVID-19 care by the Unified Health System in the period 2020 and 2021. The documents were dated from April to September 2020 and focused on the Care Management and Institutional Process Management, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first category, the creation of a "respiratory ward" to care for suspected or confirmed patients stood out. Measures were adopted to standardize assistance and medicines, aiming to prevent virus transmission. In the second category, there were guidelines on the appropriate use of Personal Protective Equipment by professionals, changes in the x-ray process, epidemiological monitoring, and reorganization of the flow of elective surgeries, with mandatory tests for COVID-19. The organizational changes necessary during the first two years of the pandemic in a secondary hospital for COVID-19 care became noticeable, with the importance of carrying out urgent measures to reorganize hospital services. Therefore, the studied hospital's physical, administrative, and support structure was readjusted to the new reality.