The production of epidemic organizational culture in the care of Covid-19: an anthropological approach to hospitals in Mexico City

Abstract

From the first months of the Covid-19 pandemic in Mexico, health workers reported to the media various problems in the management of hospitals and health authorities, which affected the adequacy and quality of care provided and their perception of risk of potential nosocomial infection. Based on semi-structured interviews with doctors from “covid” and “hybrid” hospitals in Mexico City, in this article we propose the category of epidemic organizational culture of health care, with the aim of analyzing the new reorganization of hospital care from the social representations and practices of these social actors. For this purpose we analyze their representations regarding certain dimensions that they consider significant in the management of the pandemic, at the government and hospital level, and related to the cultural behavior of the population; as well as their self-organized practices to face the absence of protocols and material means for adequate medical care, and mitigate the risk of nosocomial infections. Recovering the point of view and practices of the actors involved in medical care allows to highlight the contradictions of the healthcare system and improve current and future responses to health emergencies.