Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic: new challenges in respiratory medicine and new solutions

The impact on global public health caused by COVID-19 forced the World Health Organization to declare a health emergency on January 30, 2020. Events unfolded rapidly, and it became necessary to implement containment measures, guidelines, recommendations, and clinical protocols. INER, known for being the country’s main center for respiratory disease care, was designated to treat the most severe cases during the pandemic, over 5000 patients, prompting a transformation in patient care profiles, medical facilities, and work protocols, from medical staff to administrative personnel. To achieve this, a hospital reconversion was carried out as the primary strategy during the health emergency. This included allocating the maximum number of available beds, modifying architectural and operational infrastructure, and ensuring the availability of human resources and necessary supplies. The greatest challenges were establishing best practices for outpatient and inpatient medical care, safeguarding healthcare workers’ safety, and ensuring sufficient and available personnel. Viable solutions were established for each of these challenges. The key lesson is to be prepared for future pandemics. The challenges of respiratory medicine and their solutions are dynamic processes that must be periodically reviewed and updated.