Archive | 2021
The organizational culture in times of COVID-19 pandemic: repercussions on specialist nurses and nurse managers
Abstract
Objective: to reflect on the organizational culture, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the repercussions on the professional practice of specialist nurses and nurse managers. Method: theoretical-reflective study, carried out between October and November 2020, based on a review of the literature and the authors’ experience. Results: in the face of difficulties, never experienced before, health institutions are dealing with several challenges. Having an established organizational culture is highly relevant, showing the institution’s dynamics to society and the common objective of all its health professionals. Specialist nurses and nurse managers play a prominent role with the teams, through leadership and care management strategies, employing reflection on the practice and training of general care nurses. Conclusion: specialist nurses and nurse managers in a pandemic context may be elements that promote organizational culture, ensuring the quality of health care. Descriptors: Organizational Culture. Coronavirus Infections. Nursing. Nurse Specialists. Nurse Administrators. RESUMO Objetivo: refletir sobre a cultura organizacional, em contexto de pandemia pela COVID-19, e as repercussões no exercício profissional dos enfermeiros especialistas e enfermeiros gestores. Método: estudo teórico-reflexivo, elaborado entre outubro e novembro de 2020, a partir da revisão da literatura e experiência dos autores. Resultados: perante uma adversidade, nunca antes vivida, as instituições de saúde são confrontadas com inúmeros desafios. A existência de uma cultura organizacional consistente torna-se fundamental, mostrando a dinâmica da instituição para a sociedade e o objetivo comum de todos os seus profissionais de saúde. Os enfermeiros especialistas e enfermeiros gestores desempenham um papel de destaque junto das equipes, através de estratégias de liderança e de gestão de cuidados, recorrendo à reflexão sobre a prática e à capacitação dos enfermeiros de cuidados gerais. Conclusão: os enfermeiros especialistas e gestores em contexto de pandemia poderão ser elementos promotores da cultura organizacional, garantindo a qualidade da assistência em saúde. Descritores: Cultura organizacional. Infecções por Coronavírus. Enfermagem. Enfermeiras Especialistas. Gestor de Saúde. RESUMÉN Objetivo: reflexionar sobre la cultura organizacional, en el contexto de una pandemia por COVID-19, y las repercusiones en la práctica profesional de enfermeros especialistas y gestores. Método: estudio teórico-reflexivo, realizado entre octubre y noviembre de 2020, basado en revisión de literatura y experiencia de los autores. Resultados: ante esta adversidad, las instituciones de salud enfrentan innumerables desafíos. La existencia de una cultura organizacional coherente se vuelve fundamental, mostrando la dinámica de la institución para la sociedad y el objetivo común de todos sus profesionales de salud. Los enfermeros especialistas y los enfermeros gestoros juegan un papel destacado con los equipos, a través de estrategias de liderazgo y gestión del cuidado, a partir de la reflexión sobre práctica y formación de los enfermeros de cuidados generales. Conclusión: enfermeros especializados y gestores en un contexto pandémico pueden ser elementos promotores de la cultura organizacional, asegurando la calidad de la atención en salud. Descriptores: Cultura Organizacional. Infecciones por Coronavirus. Enfermería. Enfermeras Especialistas. Gestor de Salud. ISSN: 2238-7234 Ventura-Silva JMA, et al. The organizational culture in times of COVID-19.. 2 English Rev Enferm UFPI. 2021 10:e882. DOI: 10.26694/reufpi.v10i1.882 INTRODUCTION Organizational culture has been object of study and reflection, since the 1980s, as an important strategic component within institutions. It works as the social or regulatory environment that holds an organization together, expressing the social values and beliefs shared by its elements. It is characterized as a system of shared values and beliefs that permeate people, organizational structures and organization systems. The organizational culture underpins formal aspects, namely the policies, methods, procedures, objectives, organizational structure, and the technology adopted. In contrast, there are other components, defined as informal, such as feelings, attitudes, values, and group rules are an example, which they accept as a hidden dimension of this culture, and are more difficult to understand and interpret. This organizational culture is closely related to the work environment and can generate positive results for clients, professionals, and institutions. It is worth mentioning that in the work environment, the concern about organizational culture supports the achievement of institutional objectives. It is evident that, the promotion of positive work environments facilitates the involvement of people in carrying out activities and an organizational climate capable of enabling their satisfaction. Effectively, the organizational climate, at work, reflects the way people interact with each other and the way they respond to work challenges. In this sense, in the health field, a favorable organizational culture and organizational climate may be observed in customer satisfaction, decreased hospital stay, hospital mortality and infection rates associated with health care. Currently, a well disseminated organizational culture among the various members of the institutions, namely hospitals, has assumed a prominent role in the face of the Coronavirus Disease pandemic (COVID-19). For the national health system, in general, and for health institutions, it has been a challenge, given the number of people infected and the need for resources to deal with the disease, whether material or humans. It is worth saying that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the beginning of a decade, changing the normal course of a year, which for Nursing, was a significant milestone in its history. During the “International Year of Nursing”, the role of nurses in fighting this pandemic was underpinned, in assisting clients and in the management of institutions. The SARS-CoV-2 infection enforced health institutions the determine safe practices and organized activities, to reduce the incidence of this disease and in line with the recommended organizational culture. Within each health organization, the fight against COVID-19 requires professional diversity, that goes from health professionals working to support services to the provision of care, so cultural aspects and the organizational climate are key, so the implemented interventions succeed. Given the above and its relevance to nursing, as well as the authors’ experience in different health organizations, the current paper aims to reflect on the organizational culture, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the repercussions on the professional practice of specialist nurses and nurse managers, who took on increased responsibilities in management, organization and care.