Identifying the non-governmental organizations' activities and challenges in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran

Sayarifard, Azadeh; Nazari, Maryam; Rajabi, Fatemeh; Ghadirian, Laleh; Sajadi, Haniye Sadat

doi:10.1186/s12889-022-13080-5

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(21 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Recent studies showed that NGOs globally played a significant role when national governments alone couldn't manage to fulfill the needs of the population ( 42 – 44 ), but scientific publications concerning this topic were missing at the time of writing this manuscript. The findings of this study confirmed the results of previous publications that have emphasized the importance of NGOs' role in supporting countries when emergencies and disasters occur ( 45 , 46 ). The solid working experience with vulnerable and marginalized people in low resource settings, the closer connection with the communities and the adoption of more flexible bureaucratic processes were identified among the main factors that allow these organizations to respond more quickly to crises ( 43 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Exploring Italian healthcare facilities response to COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learned from the Italian Response to COVID-19 initiative

Parotto

Lamberti-Castronuovo

Censi

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The COVID-19 pandemic exerted an extraordinary pressure on the Italian healthcare system (Sistema Sanitario Nazionale, SSN), determining an unprecedented health crisis. In this context, a multidisciplinary non-governmental initiative called Italian Response to COVID-19 (IRC-19) was implemented from June 2020 to August 2021 to support the Italian health system through multiple activities aimed to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. The objective of this study was to shed light on the role of NGOs in supporting the SSN during the first pandemic wave by specifically exploring: (1) the main challenges experienced by Italian hospitals and out-of-hospital care facilities and (2) the nature and extent of the IRC-19 interventions specifically implemented to support healthcare facilities, to find out if and how such interventions met healthcare facilities' perceived needs at the beginning of the pandemic. We conducted a cross-sectional study using an interviewer administered 32-item questionnaire among 14 Italian healthcare facilities involved in the IRC-19 initiative. Health facilities' main challenges concerned three main areas: healthcare workers, patients, and facilities' structural changes. The IRC-19 initiative contributed to support both hospital and out-of-hospital healthcare facilities by implementing interventions for staff and patients' safety and flow management and interventions focused on the humanization of care. The support from the third sector emerged as an added value that strengthened the Italian response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is in line with the Health—Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (H-EDRM) precepts, that call for a multisectoral and multidisciplinary collaboration for an effective disaster management.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Exploring Italian healthcare facilities response to COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learned from the Italian Response to COVID-19 initiative

Parotto

Lamberti-Castronuovo

Censi

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Despite their unique strengths, community-level organisations and initiatives encountered various challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. As documented elsewhere, COVID-19-related challenges faced by community-based organisations included restrictions on movement, closure of physical spaces, reduced capacity for in-person services, and limited face-to-face interactions due to social distancing measures (27)(28)(29). Considering the importance of physical accessibility and provision of tailored personal guidance, many organisations tried their best to stay operational.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“A beacon of hope": a qualitative study on migrants' mental health needs and community-based organisations' responses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Antwerp, Belgium

Molenaar

Robinson

Praag

2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for structurally informed mental health services that are sensitive to social inequalities and cultural differences. Community-level services and organisations are often referred to as having the potential to play a key role in providing such services to migrants, yet not many studies have documented how these types of services have been organised and experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of our case study in Antwerp’s districts of Borgerhout and Antwerpen-Noord (Belgium) was to explore how community-level responses to the mental health impact of the COVID-19 crisis were organised and experienced by first-generation migrants and members of community-level organisations. Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with first-generation migrants in Borgerhout and Antwerpen-Noord (n = 19) and with professionals in the local psycho-social care sector (n=13). Results: Our findings highlight the complex drivers of migrants’ mental health and the unique value and indispensability of local-level services and organisations in providing mental-health related services, particularly in a crisis context like the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualities that emerged to be particularly important included organisations’ awareness of local needs; their flexible nature which allows them to address bottlenecks and fill gaps left by other services; their capacity to respond holistically to a broad spectrum of needs; their ability to offer culturally sensitive care and support; and their physical accessibility. However, our findings also demonstrate the fragility and fragmentation of these local-level services and initiatives. In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, this related to serious challenges to the necessary physical accessibility of organisations’ services; services and initiatives becoming overloaded; and widespread fragmentation and lack of oversight of the available services forming a real barrier for both service users and providers. Conclusions: This study underlines the importance of prioritising physical accessibility of mental health services at the community level, improving cultural sensitivity through training and employing professionals with a shared background or language proficiency with migrants, and promoting stronger collaborations between community-level organizations and city governments. The findings are informative to guide mental health policy and future crisis responses in similar communities and neighbourhoods.

show abstract

“…Constructive interaction between government and NGOs can create an atmosphere of trust and turn both parties into partners in developing and implementing health programs. 34 This process facilitates the effective role of government and NGOs and can improve community participation in health planning. One of the most important plans of NGOs is to create links between the main local health actors to mobilize local resources and promote community participation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…11 Constructive interaction between government and NGOs can create an atmosphere of trust and turn both parties into partners in developing and implementing health programs. 34 T A B L E 2 Summary of strategies and interventions identified for improving NGOs' participation in preventive care…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Interventions to increase participation of NGOs in preventive care: A scoping review

Sajadi

Ghadirian

Rajabi

et al. 2022

Health Science Reports

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background and Aims Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have enormous potential to effectively prevent and manage diseases; however, little research is available on interventions used to improve NGOs' participation in this area. A scoping review was conducted to identify options proposed or implemented to improve the participation of the NGOs in preventive care. Methods Pubmed, Web of Science, and ProQuest were extensively searched. Google Scholar was also searched to find potential studies related to the subject. Relevant keywords were used in the English language. The reference list of relevant studies was also scanned. Studies were screened with defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Relevant data were then extracted. Two individuals independently screened and extracted studies. The interventions implemented or proposed to promote the participation of the NGOs in the implementation of preventive interventions were deductively identified and classified. Results Eighteen articles were included in our review. We identified 31 interventions and categorized them into 11 strategies, including (1) building strong collaboration among NGOs and with governments; (2) expanding networks and sustained relations among NGOs; (3) evaluating the NGOs' performance; (4) increasing intersectoral collaboration; (5) advocating for the role of NGOs; (6) supporting NGOs from the side of government; (7) empowering the abilities and capabilities of NGOs; (8) defining the precise roles and responsibilities of the parties; (9) strengthening the health system governance; (10) increasing the health literacy of the community; and (11) developing required regulations, rules, and policies. None of the interventions identified had evidence of its effectiveness. Conclusion The current evidence on effective interventions to strengthen NGOs' participation in implementing health care is scanty. It means there is an information gap in the effect of interventions to improve NGOs' participation in health.

show abstract

Identifying the non-governmental organizations' activities and challenges in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran

Cited by 12 publications

References 26 publications

Exploring Italian healthcare facilities response to COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learned from the Italian Response to COVID-19 initiative

Exploring Italian healthcare facilities response to COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learned from the Italian Response to COVID-19 initiative

“A beacon of hope": a qualitative study on migrants' mental health needs and community-based organisations' responses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Antwerp, Belgium

Interventions to increase participation of NGOs in preventive care: A scoping review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About