[Experience of the first wave of Covid-19 by the professionals of 11 hospitals in French-speaking Switzerland]. / Expérience de la première vague de Covid-19 par les professionnel·le·s de 11 hôpitaux suisses romands.

During the first wave of Covid-19, hospital professionals had to quickly adapt their practices and introduce several changes in the organization of work and patient care. In this study, we were interested in how these changes were experienced by the professionals of 11 hospitals in French-speaking Switzerland. The results underline the importance of support between colleagues and between services in this crisis, which seems to have been marked by an improvement in interprofessional coordination and collaboration. The support of direct managers also seems to have been crucial but largely dependent on their leadership skills. Respondents emphasized the need for a transparent institutional communication.

Durant la première vague de Covid-19, les professionnel·le·s hospitalier·ère·s ont dû rapidement adapter leur façon de travailler et introduire de nombreux changements dans l'organisation du travail et la prise en charge des patient·e·s. Dans cette étude, nous nous sommes intéressées à la façon dont ces changements avaient été vécus par les professionnel·le·s de 11 hôpitaux romands. Les résultats soulignent l'importance de l'entraide entre collègues et entre services, dans cette situation de crise qui semble avoir été marquée par une amélioration de la coordination et de la collaboration interprofessionnelle. Le soutien des responsables direct·e·s semble également avoir été crucial mais largement dépendant du leadership des responsables. Les répondant·e·s ont souligné la nécessité d'avoir une communication institutionnelle transparente.

Workplace Well-Being and Intent to Stay by Health Care Workers Reassigned during the First COVID-19 Wave: Results of a Swiss Survey.

Our study aimed at investigating the way not having the choice to be reassigned was associated to a poorer experience of reassignment among health care workers (HCWs) during the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and indirectly to a lower workplace well-being and reduced intent to stay at the hospital. We also investigated the moderating role of the perceived hospital management responsiveness on these associations. A cross sectional survey was sent to all professionals from 11 hospitals and clinics in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, in July 2020. Out of 2811 professionals who completed the survey, 436 were HCWs reassigned to COVID-19 units during the first wave of the pandemic and constituted our analysis sample. Results indicated that hospital management responsiveness moderated the association between lack of choice and reassignment experience, indicating that the more HCWs perceived responsiveness, the less the lack of choice affected their experience of reassignment and thus their intent to stay and workplace well-being. Lack of choice during reassignments can reduce intent to stay and workplace well-being, in particular if hospital management is not perceived to be responsive during the crisis. Attempts by hospital management to find solutions, such as flexibility in working hours or extraordinary leaves, can alleviate the perceived constraints of reassignment and be considered signs of responsiveness from hospital management.

Trust in Institutions and the COVID-19 Threat: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Public Perception of Official Recommendations and of Othering in Switzerland.

Objectives: To explore how perceived disease threat and trust in institutions relate to vaccination intent, perceived effectiveness of official recommendations, and to othering strategies. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of Swiss adults in July 2020. Outcome variables were vaccination intent, perceived effectiveness of official recommendations and othering strategies (labelling a given social group as responsible for the disease and distancing from it). Independent variables were perceived disease threat, trust in various institutions, perceived health-related measures, and sociodemographic variables. Linear and logistic regressions were performed. Results: The response rate was 20.2% (1518/7500). Perceived disease threat and trust in medical/scientific institutions were positively associated with vaccination intent and perceived effectiveness of official recommendations for coronavirus mitigation measures. Only disease threat was associated with a perception of effectiveness among othering strategies. Age and education levels were associated with vaccination intent. Conclusion: Reinforcing trust in medical/scientific institutions can help strengthen the perceived effectiveness of official recommendations and vaccination. It however does not prevent adherence to ineffective protecting measures such as othering strategies, where decreasing perceptions of epidemic threat appears to be more efficient.