Document Type
Article
Keywords
COVID-19, volunteerism, China, qualitative research, professional relationships, delivery of health care
Abstract
Purpose: China employed a unique volunteerism system where health care providers outside of Hubei Province, the epicentre, travelled to reverse the devastation wrought by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at its global onset. The aim is to study the unique circumstances of Chinese volunteerism in the context of continuing pandemic threats, specifically exploring the experiences of 20 Chinese nurse and physician volunteers fighting COVID-19 during the outbreak. Methods: Interviews were done through video calling. Results: Using content analysis with a hermeneutic perspective, emerging patterns showed the ways in which China’s particular manifestation of volunteerism teaches us how to engage global threats of this nature. The overarching lesson, For the Good of the People, was manifested in several dynamic and overlapping themes: 1) Reaching for Professional Standards Even in Crisis; 2) Constantly Caring Through Failures and Successes; and 3) Holding Fast to the Common Good. The devastation was met by the resilience of volunteers, who overcame profound challenges managing patient care. Conclusions: Volunteerism required sacrifice and tremendous support in the form of training and administrative direction, family support, and peer collaboration. Volunteers’ physical and psychosocial wellbeing was a priority. Recognizing the representative themes can help societies plan for continuing and future events.
Publication Date
2023
Publication Title
International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being
ISSN
1748-2623
Volume
18
First Page
1
Last Page
12
Rights
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
DOI
10.1080/17482631.2023.2231684
Recommended Citation
Li, Fan; Gu, Chunyun; Hu, Yanqun; Vandermause, Roxanne; Fish, Anne F.; Zhou, Zehui; Yuan, Xiaodan; Zhou, Qianqian; Zhu, Junya; and Lou, Qingqing, "For the Good of the People: an interpretive analysis of Chinese volunteerism in the critical matter of care at the start of the pandemic" (2023). Nursing Faculty Works. 28.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2023.2231684
Available at:
https://irl.umsl.edu/nursing-faculty/28