“No te conozco, pero aquí estoy” Solidarity letters in times of COVID-19 in Spain

Abstract

Introduction: April 2020 concluded with more than 80,000 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Spain. Social isolation is one of the problems derived from the institutionalization. To combat this problem, the project “No te conozco, pero aquí estoy” (NTCPAE) –I don’t know you but here I am– emerged, which aimed to receive and send at least 6,000 letters in 36 hospitals and 6 nursing home. Objectives: To identify the motivation of the senders of the letters to participate in the NTCPAE project. Methodology: Cross-sectional, observational and descriptive study. We have designed a 19 self-prepared items questionnaire and we sent 4,820 questionnaires. Results: We have received 2,021 fulfilled questionnaires, of which 89,4% were women. 55,4% reported to have had a close person with COVID-19, and the questions scored higher than 3,8 points out of 5. Discussion: Respondents showed a motivation to participate in the project related to empathy, personal satisfaction and the positive impact on emotional health of the institutionalized person with COVID-19. Conclusions: We consider that the NTCPAE project has helped to materialize the motivation and social commitment of the population for the benefit of the institutionalized person during the COVID-19 pandemic.