Hospital Preparedness as Perceived by Health Care Providers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The world has recently seen many infectious respiratory viruses; however, the end of 2019 saw the emergence of the severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which sparked a global pandemic and severely disrupted social, economic, and healthcare systems throughout the world. It is vital to concentrate on hospital and staff preparation because of the critical role that hospital preparedness plays. Healthcare providers help to identify potential risks and work with teams to reduce and prevent these risks via the creation of strategies and plans. This study aims: to assess hospital preparedness as perceived by healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research design: A descriptive design was used to conduct this study. Settings: This study was conducted in two hospitals: Damanhur Fever Hospital and Damanhur Chest Hospital which are affiliated to the Ministry of Health and Population at Al Behera Governorate. Subjects: a convenience sample of 315 who are willing to participate in the time of data collection. Tools: A hospital preparedness survey was used in this study to collect the data to assess hospitals in terms of preparedness as perceived by healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The findings of the current study revealed that healthcare providers had a moderate perception degree about hospital preparedness. Recommendations: initiating realistic policies, rules, and regulations to prepare hospitals to deal with any pandemic diseases and actions to eliminate them from the workplace by developing education and training; expanding occupational health for a healthy work environment.