ArticleHealth policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands)2022
European countries' responses in ensuring sufficient physical infrastructure and workforce capacity during the first COVID-19 wave.
Article in Health policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 2022. 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 77 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
77 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Measuring hospital care resilience: a systematic literature review.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2026Pooled it
- Implementation of policy and management interventions to improve health and care workforce capacity to address the COVID-19 pandemic response: a systematic review.Human resources for health · 2023Pooled it
- The architecture of the European Union's pandemic preparedness and response policy framework.European journal of public health · 2023Pooled it
- Higher Risk of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Risk Factors among Patients with COVID-19: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Challenges That Health Care Systems Faced During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Extreme heat and risk of pediatric emergency department visits: a time-stratified time-series analysis.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Health security needs a European health and care workforce strategy, and it needs it now.Health policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2026Article
- Costs of hospital stays in Switzerland during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative analysis between cancer and non-cancer patients.BMC health services research · 2026Observational
- Design of a low-cost, portable blower-based breath simulator using 3D printing for respiratory research and education.HardwareX · 2026Article
- Developing context-specific competencies for epidemic and pandemic preparedness in the MENA region: a training needs assessment and Delphi approach.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- COVID-19 impacts on the breast cancer care pathway among systemically marginalized communities in Ontario.Cancer causes & control : CCC · 2025Article
- Feasibility of a Pre-Hospital Virtual Triage and Care Model: A Mixed-Methods Pilot in Emergency Care.Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA · 2025Article
- The role of the nursing workforce in health system resilience during disasters: a scoping review of empirical studies.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2025Review
- Family planning and abortion service availability and utilisation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- Optimizing Emergency Response in Hospitals: A Systematic Review of Surge Capacity Planning and Crisis Resource Management.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Skill mix changes in healthcare professions during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Implementation context, mechanisms and outcomes of a transitional care intervention to prevent delirium: a mixed-methods process evaluation from the TRADE study.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- The Impact of Polycrisis on Healthcare Systems-Analyzing Challenges and the Role of Social Epidemiology.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Article
- Financial performance of hospitals in Europe - a scoping review.BMC health services research · 2025Article
17 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented pressure on health systems' capacities. These capacities include physical infrastructure, such as bed capacities and medical equipment, and healthcare professionals. Based on information extracted from the COVID-19 Health System Reform Monitor, this paper analyses the strategies that 45 countries in Europe have taken to secure sufficient health care infrastructure and workforce capacities to tackle the crisis, focusing on the hospital sector. While pre-crisis capacities differed across countries, some strategies to boost surge capacity were very similar. All countries designated COVID-19 units and expanded hospital and ICU capacities. Additional staff were mobilised and the existing health workforce was redeployed to respond to the surge in demand for care. While procurement of personal protective equipment at the international and national levels proved difficult at the beginning due to global shortages, countries found innovative solutions to increase internal production and enacted temporary measures to mitigate shortages. The pandemic has shown that coordination mechanisms informed by real-time monitoring of available health care resources are a prerequisite for adaptive surge capacity in public health crises, and that closer cooperation between countries is essential to build resilient responses to COVID-19.
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