Perceptions of postoutbreak management by management and healthcare workers of a Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in a tertiary care hospital: a qualitative study

Al Knawy, Bandar Abdulmohsen; Al-Kadri, Hanan M F; Elbarbary, Mahmoud; Arabi, Yaseen; Balkhy, Hanan H; Clark, Alex

Finally, mental health support to frontline HCWs was a major missing element in managing the MERS-CoV outbreak. Indeed, psychological and personal support and counseling for staff during emergency situations is recommended. [28] [29] [30] In Singapore for example, the Ministry of Health funds a "comprehensive crisis response management system" for health professionals. 28 Such initiatives may be more effective in supporting staff than support from other health professionals 29 and can be targeted to those in most need via screening. 29, 30 Research limitations and strengths: This research served to document learning from an unusual, burdensome and serious infection outbreak. While participants included in the study were very well placed to provide insights into the outbreak inevitably, the research was conducted retrospectively, included subjective data, and involved a select group of participants whose perspectives may differ from the broader population of staff at the KAMC-R. While independent researchers undertook the interviews, responses may have been influenced by the "official" links between the project and the organization. Staff perspectives may have also been influenced by the time duration since the outbreak was curtailed (around eight months). We addressed these limitations through different data collection sources, member checking and data triangulation.