*3.2. Healthcare Quality*

Healthcare quality was perceived by 45.3% (*n* = 173) of our sample as becoming worse during the first COVID-19 wave, while the other respondents stated that the same conditions remained (43.7%; *n* = 167) or improved (11%; *n* = 42). No significant differences were found for health department (H = 4.007; *p* = 0.405) or service type (H = 7.355; *p* = 0.499). Nevertheless, significant differences appeared according to professional category because doctors (60.9%; *n* = 42) and registered nurses (44.7%; *n* = 97) were the professional groups that mainly thought that healthcare quality worsened during the state of alarm (H = 14.36; *p* = 0.026).

Workload was assessed as the factor with the most negative impact on healthcare quality (m = 1.92 ± 1.011) (H = 4.189; *p* = 0.123), followed by patients' clinical complexity (m = 2.23 ± 1.086) (H = 0.02; *p* = 0.99), but no significant differences were found according to healthcare service. Another factor with a negative impact on healthcare quality was material resources management (m = 2.35 ± 1.228), mostly in primary care centers (m = 1.88 ± 1.045) as opposed to nursing homes and other services (m = 2.29 ± 1.243) and hospitals (m = 2.46 ± 1.243), with significant differences (H = 12.616; *p* = 0.002).


**Table 1.** Socio-demographic, occupational, and COVID-19 exposure-related variables.

Human resources management was assessed at 2.38 (±1.180) points. The professionals who worked in primary care centers (m = 2.11 ± 1.069), as well as nursing homes and other services (m = 2.1 ± 1.012), indicated that this factor had the stronger negative impact versus those professionals who worked in hospitals (m = 2.48 ± 1.209), with significant differences (H = 6.655; *p* = 0.036). Health service organizations obtained a score of 2.77 (±1.278) points, and no significant differences were found according to health service (H = 0.65; *p* = 0.723).

Finally, teamwork was considered to be the only factor with a positive impact on healthcare quality (m = 3.60 ± 1.255), mainly in hospitals (m = 3.70 ± 1.255) vs. primary care centers (m = 3.26 ± 1.281) and nursing homes and other services (m = 3.35 ± 1.05), with significant differences (H = 0.65; *p* = 0.011). Table 2 offers these results for health department and professional category.


**Table 2.** Factors that negatively affected healthcare quality according to health department and professional category.

<sup>1</sup> Level of significance was set at *p* < 0.05.
