Palliative Care Pandemic Pack: A Specialist Palliative Care Service Response to Planning the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Specialist palliative care services (SPCS) have a vital role to play in the global coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Core expertise in complex symptom management, decision making in uncertainty, advocacy and education, and ensuring a compassionate response are essential, and SPCS are well positioned to take a proactive approach in crisis management planning. SPCS resource capacity is likely to be overwhelmed, and consideration needs to be given to empowering and supporting high-quality primary palliative care in all care locations. Our local SPCS have developed a Palliative Care Pandemic Pack to disseminate succinct and specific information, guidance, and resources designed to enable the rapid upskilling of nonspecialist clinicians needing to provide palliative care. It may be a useful tool for our SPCS colleagues to adapt as we face this global challenge collaboratively.

Systems Barriers to Assessment and Treatment of COVID-19 Positive Patients at the End of Life

“…Palliative medicine has risen to the task by creating care plans, disseminating resources, and facing this crisis together. [3][4][5][6][7] Virginia Commonwealth University Health System (VCUHS) is a tertiary referral center located in Richmond, Virginia. The inpatient palliative care system at VCUHS consists of an 11-bed inpatient unit with specialized palliative providers and nursing care as well as a robust consult service.…”

Palliative care provision at a tertiary cancer center during a global pandemic

“…These have focused primarily on decision-making around the initiation or continuation of anticancer therapies; delays in cancer surgery; enrollment in clinical trials; and the importance of clearly documented goals of care discussions for patients with cancer who may become infected with COVID-19 [5,6]. The literature around palliative care provision in response to COVID-19 has mainly focused on managing resource limitations, educational initiatives for non-specialists, and ensuring that the psychosocial needs of patients, families, and healthcare providers are attended to [7][8][9][10]; there has been scant information around the provision of palliative care to patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Cuidados paliativos no contexto da pandemia de COVID-19: desafios e contribuições

“…Em relação às temáticas, duas categorias sintetizam os principais aspectos abordados nos estudos: "Estratégias para implementação dos cuidados paliativos no enfrentamento da COVID-19" (17)(18)(19)21,23,25,(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)35,36,(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)44) (19; 63,3%) e "Terapêutica paliativista no contexto da pandemia: desafios e contribuições" (16,(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)31,33,34,(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(43)(44)(45) (24; 80%).…”

“…Ferguson et al (22) Atualização Profissionais da saúde Literatura Borasio et al (23) Relato de experiência Equipe de cuidados paliativos Vivência Rolanda et al (24) Relato de experiência Idosos em casas de repouso Vivência Curtis et al (25) Artigo de opinião Profissionais da saúde Literatura…”

“…LGBTQ+ -Lésbicas, Gays, Bissexuais, Travestis, Transexuais, Transgêneros e Queer Já em relação aos desafios e contribuições da terapêutica paliativista no contexto da pandemia, verificaram-se, principalmente, o manejo farmacológico e não farmacológico dos sinais e sintomas dos pacientes (19)(20)(21)(22)24,25,27,29,31,33,(36)(37)(38)(39)44) e o apoio emocional e espiritual aos pacientes, familiares e/ to de estratégias para prestar tais cuidados, com a determinação de um modelo eficiente para que os serviços minimizem riscos e ampliem o alcance da abordagem paliativa. O objetivo é fornecer recomendações aos profissionais de saúde sobre os cuidados paliativos; evitar tratamento intensivo oneroso, assegurando cuidados de qualidade a quem precisa; estruturar serviços capazes de prover atendimento rápido e eficaz e identificar adequadamente quem pode ou não se beneficiar de um tratamento intensivo invasivo.…”