Table 1 Useful questions for needs analysis and/or reflections and debriefings
People | • Identify all staff who have contact with patients and their relatives. Consider:  o Consider knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to act in the crisis.  o All hours and days of the week.  o All aspects of a hospital stay (diagnosis, treatment, administration, catering, etc.).  o What should they be able to do?  o Do they have the right attitude for the work they are doing? • How many people of different professions do you need for the task, and where do they need to be?  o Who are your reserves (clinical staff as well as facilitators) if people get ill and how do you activate them? • Are the people involved clear about the tasks that they need to do? Do they agree with these expectations?  o Where can they get task-oriented help?  o Where can they get help on a personal level?  o What do they do if the situation gets out of control (getting help, escaping, etc.)?  o What can you do to support them with the emotional strain? |
Tasks to be done | • What tasks in relation to diagnosis, interventions, and care need to be prioritised?  o In preparation of receiving patients  o During treatment  o Follow-up • What are the important tasks beyond the interaction with the patient?  o Administration  o Infection control  o Co-ordination with other people and departments • How does personal protective equipment (PPE) affect the task?  o Time for donning and doffing  o Are there limitations to psychomotor activities?  o Is sensory input impaired (e.g. do people need to speak louder)?  o Is there need for additional storage and waste space? • How do you implement the individual tasks? These aspects are inspired by the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) [24]  o What triggers an action?  o What is the expected outcome of the action (e.g. more information, a treatment step implemented)?  o Will the outcome of the task meet its requirements? Is the outcome of too high or low quality compared to the resources available and is it on time?  o What needs to be done before you can even start the task?  o What resources are needed whilst the task is running?  o What is the timeframe (e.g. duration, sequence)?  o What guidance is there for the task (both official and unofficial practice)? Are different sources of guidance aligned (e.g. do the guidelines reflect clinical practice)? |
Context | • Where would patients, relatives, and healthcare professionals meet? • Will the environment support patients and healthcare professionals psychologically? • Will the environment support the task? [25] • Is all equipment available and in the right place? • How can missing equipment be found? • What is the backup plan? • Is it easy for patients, relatives, staff, and potential volunteers to find where they need to go? |
General points | Remain vigilant for any issues that come about in relation to managing COVID-19, and consider who you should inform about any possible insights • Surprises • Misunderstandings • Different priorities and wishes between people • Agreements made and ways to find the agreements • Challenges of implementing the procedures into practice • Adaptations and refinements of procedures on the fly • Equipment needed • Be resourceful with equipment and material • Concerns of the healthcare professionals |