“I Knew I Could Make a Difference”: Motivations and Barriers to Engagement in Fighting the West African Ebola Outbreak Among U.S.-Based Health Professionals

Abstract

The 2014 West African Ebola outbreak was unprecedented in scale and required significant international assistance. Many U.S.-based health professionals traveled to West Africa to participate in the response, whereas others considered participation, but ultimately decided against it. This study explores motivators, facilitators, and barriers to international health care worker mobilization. We conducted 24 semistructured in-depth interviews and one focus group discussion with clinical and nonclinical responders and nonresponders. Responders reported feeling duty-bound to help, confidence in their training, and prior experience in humanitarian response. Media coverage was perceived to create environments of stigma and misinformation. Supportive workplaces and clear leave of absence policies facilitated engagement, whereas unsupportive workplaces posed barriers. Although nonresponders were included in the study, the dynamics of nonresponse were less clear and warrant further exploration. Understanding how to support health professionals in responding to outbreak situations may improve mobilization in future public health crises.

A qualitative descriptive study of the contextual factors influencing the practice of emergency nurses in managing emerging infectious diseases

“…Studies have also been conducted to identify factors affecting the practices of healthcare workers in the course of outbreak management. These studies showcase the important role of institutions in offering training, guidance and incentives to frontline staff (Craig et al, 2018;Greenberg et al, 2019). What is less clear is which factors in the emergency care setting adversely affect the ability of emergency nurses to engage in an EID outbreak response.…”

Health Hyperbolism: A Study in Health Crisis Rhetoric

“…On one hand, Ebola might be perceived as more manageable and therefore, less likely to elicit responses of panic from the American public if it views it as an issue that has been contained within the confines of the U.S. borders. On the other hand, overlooking the death rate from Ebola in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo could yield apathetic and despondent reactions to the impact of deadly viruses in countries outside of the United States (Greenberg et al, 2019).…”

Race and the spatialisation of risk during the 2013–2016 West African Ebola epidemic

“…The experiences of international healthcare workers during the West African Ebola outbreak have been explored with regards to their perception of risks (Gee and Skovdal, 2017) and their attitudes towards volunteering (Turtle et al, 2015;Greenberg et al, 2019, Gershon et al, 2016. Gee and Skovdal (2017) especially have paid attention to the importance of place in healthcare workers' perception and navigation of risk in ETCs.…”