Evaluation of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on people and organisations in long-term care facilities of Catalonia and proposals for improving the care model: the resicovid-19 project

Abstract

Background: During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is estimated that around 25% of infected residents in Nursing Homes in Catalonia died, which accounted for more than 50% of total COVID-19 deaths in the region. This devasting impact not only highlights the structural deficits of the long-term care facilities system, but it also provides a unique opportunity to gather evidence to support a redesign of the health and social care models–a redesign that focuses on individuals and their singularities, and is equipped with the staff and infrastructure required to meet their needs. Methods: The ResiCOVID-19 project will include five work packages to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (from March 2020 to June 2022) on the individuals living in long-term care facilities in Catalonia, their family members, health care workers, and the organisations themselves. In this project, we will develop proposals for improvement and indicators for the long-term care model in Catalonia to better adapt to the current and future needs of people-centred care through conducting a rapid review, analysis of international experiences, retrospective analysis, and a cross-sectional study. The analysis will be conducted both from a quantitative and a qualitative perspective, measuring the impact at a system level as well as at a setting and individual level, including residents, families, professionals, and managers of long-term care facilities. Conclusions: The ResiCOVID-19 project is expected to have a significant impact at different dimensions, including the care model, social and organisational aspects (on professionals and facilities), systemic efforts (both for the healthcare and the social systems), and scientific contributions (providing evidence in a field of limited research in Catalonia).