ArticleBMJ open2021
Strategies and challenges in Kerala's response to the initial phase of COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative descriptive study.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Building a resilient health system for universal health coverage and health security: a systematic review.Global health research and policy · 2024Pooled it
- Community-Level Experiences, Understandings, and Responses to COVID-19 in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of Qualitative and Ethnographic Studies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Health systems resilience and private for-profit sector engagement: lessons from the second COVID-19 wave in Uttar Pradesh, India.Health policy and planning · 2026Article
- Shared decision-making among older adults with multimorbidity in Kerala's primary care: a qualitative study using the socio-ecological model.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Predictors of mortality among critically ill SARS-CoV-2 infected patients-a retrospective cohort study, Kerala, India.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Examining the educational experiences of Behvarzes from the insufficient participation of some people in preventive measures against the COVID-19 pandemic: a lesson for the future.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- National Rural Health Mission reforms in light of decentralised planning in Kerala, India: a realist analysis of data from three witness seminars.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Colonization and decolonization of global health: which way forward?Global health action · 2023Article
- 'BMJ global health · 2023Article
- Pandemic Preparedness: A Scoping Review of Best and Worst Practices from COVID-19.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Snakebite care through the first two waves of COVID-19 in West Bengal, India: a qualitative study.Toxicon: X · 2023Article
- Combatting emerging infectious diseases from Nipah to COVID-19 in Kerala, India.Public health action · 2023Article
- Article
- Public views of and reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic in England: a qualitative study with diverse ethnicities.BMJ open · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo understand the structures and strategies that helped Kerala in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges faced by the state and how it was tackled.
designQualitative descriptive study using focus group discussions and in-depth interviews.
settingState of Kerala, India.
participants29 participants: four focus group discussions and eight in-depth interviews. Participants were chosen purposively based on their involvement in decision-making and implementation of COVID-19 control activities, from the department of health and family welfare, police, revenue, local self-government and community-based organisations. Districts, panchayats (local bodies) and primary health centres (PHCs) were selected based on epidemiological features of the area like the intensity of disease transmission and preventive/containment activities carried out in that particular area to capture the wide range of activities undertaken in the state.
resultsThe study identified five major themes that can inform best practices viz social capital, robust public health system, participation and volunteerism, health system preparedness, and challenges. This study was a real-time exploration of the intricacies of COVID-19 management in a low/middle-income country and the model can serve as an example for other states and nations to emulate or adjust accordingly.
conclusionThe study shows the impact of synergy of these themes towards more effective solutions; however, further research is much needed in examining the relationship between these factors and their relevance in policy decisions.
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