Learning from Each Other, Improving Medical Command and Control after the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences from a Bosnian-Swedish Collaboration

Introduction:The Covid-19 pandemic strained health care organizations to their limits, and sometimes beyond. Different countries took different approaches to minimize the effects of the pandemic, both to protect public health and to safeguard the capability of the health care system.A collaborative project between Sweden and Bosnia-Hercegovina with the aim to share and learn from experiences of managing the COVID-19 pandemic from a medical command and control perspective, initiated in 2021.The project departed from three theoretical stances: sociotechnical systems perspective, experiential learning theory, and organizational learning theory. Framing the problem using a holistic systems approach, compared to focusing on individual experts, allows for understanding interactions on a system level. Hence, could these theories contribute to supporting individuals' learning and organizational change?Method:A two-day workshop involving participants from both Swedish and Bosnian (N=21) medical command and control allowed for the exchange of experiences and another's perspective on similar challenges. During the workshop, two themes were addressed: common operational picture and evaluation. First, an introductory presentation was held, then the theme was discussed and reflected upon in small groups. After this, the groups presented their conclusions, and a full group discussion was moderated.Results:The discussions resulted in participants sharing perspectives on the selected themes, providing personal insights and experience, allowing for deepened and increased understanding of the theme. In spite of major differences between the Swedish and the Bosnian health care systems and Covid-19 approaches, several shared conclusions were identified. For example, reflections on decision processes and strategies, as well as interest in improving the crisis organization.Conclusion:Exposing participants to different views on well-known processes and challenges allows for reflecting, verbalizing, and reaching a deeper understanding. By displaying a culturally differently organized way of approaching the challenges the contrast is even more evident.