Nursing response and COVID-19 mortality in rural municipalities in southern Brazil

TL;DR

This study examines how two rural Brazilian municipalities with different COVID-19 mortality rates managed the pandemic through health care reorganization and nursing efforts.

Contribution

The study provides insights into how nursing-led strategies and local political factors influenced pandemic outcomes in rural areas.

Findings

Health teams restructured care flows and secured equipment to reduce viral transmission.

Political disagreements and use of the 'COVID Kit' marked critical differences in pandemic responses.

Economic, political, and cultural factors may influence variations in COVID-19 mortality.

Abstract

to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic was addressed through prevention, health promotion, adaptation, and the reorganization of Primary Health Care services in two rural municipalities in southern Brazil with differing mortality rates.

this qualitative multiple case study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with 20 participants-including Primary Health Care professionals and key stakeholders-and supported by documentary data. Three core categories emerged: “Infrastructure, equipment, and access,” “Nurse-led care coordination: monitoring and isolation,” and “Medications and vaccines: organization and distribution.”

health teams restructured care flows, enhanced patient monitoring, secured equipment, and repurposed physical spaces to reduce viral transmission. While strategies to address the disease were largely similar, political disagreements and the use of the so-called “COVID Kit” marked critical differences.

economic, political, and cultural factors may influence variations in COVID-19 mortality across rural settings.

compreender o enfrentamento da COVID-19 no âmbito da prevenção, promoção, adaptação e reorganização da Atenção Primária à Saúde em dois municípios rurais do sul do Brasil com diferentes taxas de mortalidade.

pesquisa qualitativa, tipo estudo de casos múltiplos, realizada por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas com 20 participantes (profissionais da Atenção Primária à Saúde e atores-chave) e informações documentais. Emergiram três categorias: “Equipamentos, infraestrutura e acesso”; “Coordenação do cuidado pelos enfermeiros: monitoramento e isolamento” e “Medicamentos e vacinas: organização e distribuição”.

as equipes reorganizaram fluxos de atendimento, acompanhamento dos pacientes, aquisição de equipamentos e mudanças das salas para diminuir a transmissão viral. Os enfrentamentos da doença foram similares, porém divergências no âmbito político e no uso do “Kit COVID”.

influências econômicas, políticas e culturais podem ocasionar diferentes taxas de mortalidade por COVID-19.