Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on health care workers (HCWs) in Sindh Province of Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: In Pakistan, the COVID-19 outbreak posed a significant challenge for healthcare workers in the country's public hospitals. The HCWs faced several problems in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore this study investigated how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the medical staff at the public hospital in Sindh Province, Pakistan. METHODS: In this study, a qualitative exploratory design was used. Semi-Structure interviews (SSI) were conducted by using an open-indeed questionnaire (OIQ) for data collection. An inductive approach was used for theoretical data analysis. A total of 320 HCWs participated to complete the criteria of the study from 10 different public hospitals. RESULTS: The study result showed the Sindh public hospital's insufficient infrastructure, lack of health protective equipment, shortages of isolation rooms and beds, and emergencies during the COVID-19 pandemic caused HCWs to experience physical and psychological weariness, sleep disturbance, mental stress, and fear of infection. CONCLUSION: The study concluded that public hospitals' insufficient infrastructure, furniture, emergency wards, and safety equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly damaged HCWs' physical and psychological health, generating fear of infection and sleep disturbance. Additionally, Sindh healthcare workers' fear of illness and isolation may impair family connections.

Enhancing telehealth services development in Pakistani healthcare sectors through examining various medical service quality characteristics.

Introduction: The telehealth service increased attention both during and after the Covid-19 outbreak. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of research in developing countries, including Pakistan. Hence, the objective of this study was to examine telehealth service quality dimensions to promote the telehealth behavior intention and sustainable growth of telehealth in Pakistan. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional descriptive design. Data were collected from doctors who were delivering telehealth services through a well-designed questionnaire. To examine the hypothesis of the study, we employed the Smart PLS structural equation modeling program, namely version 0.4. Results: The study findings indicate that medical service quality, affordability, information quality, waiting time, and safety have a positive impact on the intention to engage in telehealth behavior. Furthermore, the adoption of telehealth behavior has a significant favorable effect on the actual utilization of telehealth services, which in turn has a highly good impact on sustainable development. Conclusion: The study determined that telehealth services effectively decrease the amount of time and money spent on travel, while still offering convenient access to healthcare. Furthermore, telehealth has the potential to revolutionize payment methods, infrastructure, and staffing in the healthcare industry. Implementing a well-structured telehealth service model can yield beneficial results for a nation and its regulatory efforts in the modern age of technology.