For the Good of the People: an interpretive analysis of Chinese volunteerism in the critical matter of care at the start of the pandemic

Figures & data

Table 1. Sequence of interviews by group (N = 20).

Volunteer group and time in Hubei Province	Number of interviewees	Pseudonyms of interviewees
First group January 25, 2020 - March 17, 2020	4	Pan, Nan, Shin, Ting
Second group February 9, 2020 - March 29, 2020	5	Chin, Yuan, Zheng, Min, Ban
Third group February 13, 2020 - March 23, 2020	10	Chung, Pong, Jung, Gion, Lenn, Shij, Yang, Sheng, Xiao, Jia
Fourth group February 21, 2020 -April 7, 2020	1	Den

Table 2. Additional sample exemplars for each theme.

Theme	Additional exemplars
Reaching for Professional Standards Even in Crisis	Now, people on infection control shifts need to watch carefully. Cleaning hands must last at least 1 minute. Every step must be conducted properly. You are not allowed to rub your hands casually. Yes, if a person is working outside, he/she will be on an infection control shift and will work longer. When others put on protective suits outside, this person needs to check if the protective suits are put on properly and give others guidance. Now a camera is fixed. When people come out from the ward, a person will remind them when they do not take protective suits off properly. The person on infection control shift needs to spray alcohol on others’ bodies when they come out of the ward. The working time for infection control shift is a little bit longer, almost 8 hours. None of us brought a laptop. When we set processes for them, such as taking off and putting on protective suits or dividing the areas, if [we were] able to add videos or pictures, the processes will be more vivid and more understandable. However, we only have cell phones now. We will try to adjust later. We will integrate materials and make them more vivid. Well, before I came, the infection control department at our home hospital has been training about the knowledge of putting on and taking off protective suit. There were rotating teaching sessions on the 16th floor. Then, training at the home hospital is like such … Then like videos regarding putting on and taking off … how to make improvement during the process of putting on and taking off. It means [we can] reduce more contamination and do better protection. For this part, all the procedures have been revised. After the revision had been completed, just sent it to group chat and we practiced by ourselves. After that, everyone had to take an exam. After passing the exam, [we] are allowed to work in the hospital. There are people from infection control department who assess our practice in exam. It is like we strengthened infection control. Yes, we added processes with more details and made them close to our real situation. The processes included handover shifts, transfer admission, sending patients to do exams, and patient admission. The processes were developed and posted in chat group. We followed the processes. So, we improved the local processes. After [we arrived we] really established a set of systems for working process in a short time. In the daytime, what work will be conducted in each shift, and which scales will be used to evaluate severe patients, and then what will be conducted for severe patients during which shift? And then the night shift handover, and then during the night, all are important, and all need to be handed over efficiently. Now it is fully on track. We felt that our hospital was really running things according to standards. It means being careful and responsible.
Constantly Caring Through Failures and Successes	Well, everyone worked hard and supported healthcare professionals’ and police officers’ work. The local leaders are “very supportive”. Every day I feel that I’m so touched [by] leaders of the hospital, family members, and the volunteers from our team, the big team. Then, continuous caring, talking, and so on every day. I think really, even though we came out, we are, how to say it, cared about by so many people. Then, feel very happy after being cared about. The most touching thing was the head nurse of our department. We are volunteers, she treated us very well, equally well. The happiest was that everyone was fine. When you did patient rounds, everyone told you that they felt better. I did not have symptoms. Right? You had fulfilment. Patients saw that we came here and they might be full of confidence. Maybe they have confidence, because they feel someone will take care of them. They feel that someone got their back. I think there are many touching things including some services provided by staff here. I feel that they are really nice to me. Local doctors and nurses treat us well. They said that volunteers from [a hospital] came here to help us. When patients were discharged from the hospital, they would appreciate you. I was not familiar with the environment. For example, when I need to do nursing practice for a patient, I might have to look for some medical supplies. Just this, takes time. And the central oxygen supply there sometimes is unstable. For example, we may need to search for an oxygen tank and other equipment. Searching for equipment, … just running back and forth between our room and the next room.
Holding Fast to the Common Good	[I just] signed up, and I thought the country really needed us to go at that time. Then I do what I can do. And I think people should make some contributions to others in their lives. I will never encounter such thing in my life. [I have] the ability [to] make some contributions. I am very willing to do so. And if I had not come, when I think about it again, I would feel very regretful. We are brave. We dare to go to the frontline. Then, how to describe? We inherited the characteristics of the old generation, not afraid of difficulty, willing to contribute. When I heard that we can sign up, I really did not consider too much. I just want to come here and do what I can do. At that moment, I did not consider the possibility of being infected or the amount of risk. I just think that if I could come here, I would definitely fight for it. Therefore, I talked to my head nurse multiple times.

Data availability statement

The dataset can be accessed using the link: https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Transcript_Data/21586035