EDITORIAL INTRODUCTION

Abstract

Healthcare providers are formed to serve people and put people’s needs at the center. They are expected to inform their patients as experts in health problems and health risk factors. During the clinical encounter they must integrate their knowledge with the unique characteristics, feelings, needs, and life circumstances of the person seeking their help. While this is the ideal scenario, the pandemic erased this script completely. Everything had to be learned by everyone without an expert guide. What are the risk factors, are mouth masks necessary, should we close schools, borders, or do we apply watchful waiting? How can we define cases, diagnose people, and treat them if they become ill? What do we do with other chronic diseases, health problems, or preventive services? Which resources do we need, including human resources (student trainees, retired healthcare workers, volunteers)? What was the view of healthcare providers on their duty to work during this health emergency? The latter question is answered by Muñoz et al in their paper in this issue of the IJPCM for nursing students in Chile and Spain [1].