Abstract
BACKGROUND: The urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic forced hospitals to adjust swiftly to the health crisis. They adopted a variety of solutions and encountered numerous challenges. To enhance hospitals' readiness for future crises, the HoSPiCOVID research project documented the experiences of seven hospitals in five countries (Brazil, Canada, France, Japan, Mali) to extract quality lessons learned (QLLs). These were subsequently refined through workshops involving healthcare professionals. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the process of conducting QLL formulation workshops in the HoSPiCOVID hospitals to identify facilitators and barriers encountered. METHOD: This study was based on a qualitative approach. Semi-structured individual interviews (N = 13) were conducted with researchers and professionals in the five countries. Interview recordings were imported into NVivo software, transcribed, and thematically analyzed. RESULTS: Although the professionals participated actively in the workshops, group dynamics were sometimes impeded by existing power dynamics among participants. Nonetheless, professionals perceived the workshops as an optimal method for formulating QLLs. Distributing summary sheets of workshop content beforehand and ensuring the alignment of content with participants' needs enhanced the effectiveness of the process. CONCLUSION: Despite obstacles encountered in the workshops, participants appreciated the initiative of documenting QLLs using a structured approach in which the QLLs were refined and professionals were able to compare experiences. The QLLs formulated could improve hospitals' responses to future health crises. The recommendations from this study could also enhance the organization of future workshops aiming to formulate QLLs.