Workforce strategies during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective online survey at intensive care units in Germany

Table 2 Basic characteristics of participating hospitals

	%; n/N
Hospital location (region)
North	44%; 18/41
Middle	10%; 4/41
South	46%; 19/41
Level of care¹
Primary care hospitals² / hospitals with narrow specialization⁵	44%; 18/41
Secondary care hospitals³	17%; 7/41
University and tertiary care hospitals⁴	39%; 16/41
Level of Covid-19 patient load (number of Covid-19 ICU patients)
Low (0–19)	39%; 16/41
Middle (20–59)	34%; 14/41
High (≥ 60)	27%; 11/41
Professional affiliation central contact person
Physicians	95%; 39/41
Healthcare and nursing staff	2%; 1/41
Others	2%; 1/41

¹ In Germany, general hospitals can be assigned to different levels of care according to their specialization and the services they offer. With variations between the federal states, the hospital laws regulate three or four levels of care [22, 23]:
² The term summarizes basic and regular care hospitals. Hospitals for basic care ensure care in the fields of internal medicine and general surgery (corresponding in Germany to Grundversorgung). Hospitals providing standard/regular care must also operate other specialized departments, mostly for gynecology and obstetrics as well as otolaryngology, ophthalmology or orthopedics (Regelversorgung)
³ Secondary care hospitals cover an even broader spectrum, including specialist departments for pediatrics and neurology (Schwerpunktversorgung)
⁴ Tertiary care hospitals, such as university hospitals, have all specialties available and offer services for the treatment of rare or severe diseases as well (Maximalversorgung)
⁵ Hospitals with narrow specialization are specialized in certain fields of medicine (Fachkliniken), e.g. children’s hospitals and pulmonary clinics. They are not assigned to any level of care

ISSN: 1472-6963