Unidade Local de Saúde da Guarda, EPE
Country: Portugal
We can’t save the world, but we can adjust the sails
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ULS Guarda Executive Board analyzed the possible problems that the health sector may face in battling the pandemic. The ULS Guarda created a multidisciplinary COVID commission, which conducted a conscientious analysis of the global evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic. This enabled the hospital to establish an institutionalized and concerted action in coping with the outbreak.
This commission, involving critical representatives from the different response sectors, embodied a contextual change to ULS Guarda’s governance. It broke down existing communication barriers between different sectors of the hospital and increased the collaboration between various departments. This multidisciplinary approach can then be applied to other circumstances of identical complexity.
ULS Guarda’s experience with the COVID-19 pandemic allowed it to enhance its institutional performance and respond more quickly to the needs of its community. For instance, the use of telemedicine and other alternative means of providing healthcare has allowed healthcare professionals to render uninterrupted care to patients. Internally, ULS Guarda exhibited institutional flexibility which raised the global indicators of the organization’s performance.
Website: http://www.ulsguarda.min-saude.pt
