“You Killed the Hospital, They Have No Place Left”: The Experience of Nursing Home Multidisciplinary Staff in Israel during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of the present study is to examine how multidisciplinary staffs experienced and coped with the COVID-19 pandemic crisis in nursing homes. The research included six in-depth online focus groups consisting of 21 multidisciplinary staff members from 14 Israeli nursing homes. The qualitative analysis was encoded in stages with repeated comparisons between individual participants and within groups and led to four main themes: (a) Multidisciplinary staff perceptions of nursing home management’s performance in relation to them, which was experienced as insufficient appreciation and feelings of abandonment among the non-medical staff; (b) Multidisciplinary staff perceptions of the Ministry of Health’s performance, which was experienced as chaotic and disconnected albeit supportive on the personal level; (c)The nursing home multidisciplinary staff experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, in terms of perceived stress and burnout, as well as development of a routine; (d) The multidisciplinary staff’s coping strategies, which included commitment to work despite risk, redefinition of their role, and staff insights about the need to take responsibility for their role and not rely on outside help. The findings indicate the importance of relationships that promote support and mutual communication between multidisciplinary staff, and both nursing home management and Ministry of Health. KEY POINTS Nursing home multidisciplinary staff experienced disconnection from and abandonment by nursing home management and Ministry of Health during the Covid-19 pandemic. Nursing home multidisciplinary staff experienced stress and burnout but also developed a routine. Despite intensified negative emotional feelings, multidisciplinary staff also underwent processes of redefining their role and gaining greater independence. Findings indicate the importance of creating a climate that facilitates mutual sharing, listening and learning.