Emergency Medical Care Functioning During COVID-19 Pandemic in Eastern Europe

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the challenges faced by treatment organizations and assess the current state of emergency medical care facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: The content analysis method is used to investigate the organization of emergency medical care services during this crisis. The Health System Response Monitoring to COVID-19 (HSRM) and Health Systems and Policy Monitoring (HSPM) databases were relied upon for the analysis. Results: Several notable aspects of patient treatment during the pandemic were revealed by the study. These included the postponement of scheduled examinations and urgent treatments, a decrease in the hospitalization rate for planned surgical interventions, limitations on medical care availability, the vacations prohibition for medical staff, staff redeployment, patient triage, and daily monitoring of intensive care beds to ensure they were filled according to planned indicators. Conclusion: It was concluded that treatment organizations in Poland and the Czech Republic faced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The restrictions and limitations imposed on medical care services resulted in the postponement of non-urgent treatments and a decrease in the hospitalization rate for planned surgeries. In addition, the proactive measures taken by medical staff, such as the vacations prohibition and staff redeployment, were crucial in managing the crisis and ensuring the availability of care. The daily monitoring of intensive care beds played a vital role in maintaining the capacity to treat critically ill patients according to planned indicators. These findings highlight the need for ongoing monitoring and preparedness to effectively manage emergency medical care services during future public health emergencies.