Health Care Workforce Playbooks and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Investigators: Anna Dodson, BSPH; Nathan Nelson-Maney, BS; Thomas C. Ricketts, MPH, PhD; Jill Forcina PhD, RN, CNE, CNL, OCN
Objectives: To develop guidelines for training and information on accessing training resources to “surge” healthcare workforce professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. These documents are called “Playbooks” and are meant to provide health care systems, states, the federal government and other stakeholders with updated, state-of-the-art resources to promote local flexibility to respond to workforce challenges and shortages.
Methods: The development of these Playbooks was informed by the principles of patient-centered care where the individual’s health needs and goals drive all health care decisions (NEJM Catalyst 2017). The team used expert advice from a range of informants: clinicians, policy makers, and administrators to develop the playbook guideline. In these playbooks, we describe how the targeted skillsets of the healthcare workforce can be matched to patients’ needs and goals no matter who delivers the care or support.
Results & discussion: The Playbooks for the five domains of care are available online. They cover: 1. Home-Based Care, 2. Ambulatory Care, 3. Inpatient medical care, 4. Long-Term Care., and 5. Critical Care. Two of the Playbooks are supplemented by a free-standing “checklist” to further assist in planning. These playbooks are available via the NC AHEC website (and below) and it is our intention to modify them as needed. The uptake of the playbooks will be assessed in follow-up communications with users.
- Dodson A, Nelson-Maney N, Ricketts T, Forcina J. Health care workforce playbooks and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A health workforce policy paper. Carolina Health Workforce Research Center. Policy Brief. June 2021.
- Dodson A, Nelson-Maney N, Ricketts T, Forcina J. Health care workforce playbooks and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A health workforce policy paper. Carolina Health Workforce Research Center. Research Abstract. June 2021.
- COVID-19 Workforce Surge Planning Playbook for Patients in Long-Term Care
- COVID-19 Workforce Surge Planning Playbook for Patients Requiring General Inpatient Medical Care
- COVID-19 Workforce Surge Planning Playbook for Patients Requiring Ambulatory Care
- COVID-19 Workforce Surge Planning Playbook for Patients Requiring Critical or ICU Care
- COVID-19 Workforce Surge Planning Playbook for Patients in Home-Based Care
- COVID-19 Preparedness Checklist: Planning Considerations for Acute Care and Long-Term Care Populations
- COVID-19 Preparedness Checklist: Considerations for the Home-based Care Population