Management Teams In the Face of Uncertainty: Handling the COVID-19 Epidemic in France’s Nursing Homes
Between February and May 2020, the first wave of the COVID ‐ 19 epidemic caused 14,455 deaths in nursing homes in France. The arrival of the virus and, by extension, the risk of mass death, generated huge uncertainties which professionals have attempted to control. Based on interviews of 58 professionals working in 13 nursing homes, this text shows how management teams have dealt with medical and scientific uncertainties about the virus and its impact on mortality. While nursing home directors worked to overcome the shortage of protective equipment, usually by mobilizing local resources, coordinating doctors relied on the knowledge acquired through the experience of previous epidemics while leading monitoring work and updating and disseminating medical and scientific knowledge. In practice, it was necessary to adapt internal functioning by reorganizing spaces and the division of work among professionals.