When ‘Being There’ Is Disallowed: Disruptions to Knowing and Caring During COVID-19 Visitor Restrictions

Sinding, Christina; Cape, Susan; Charles, Lyndsey; Gosselin, Claire; Kettings, Matthew; Taniguchi, Alan; Willison, Kathleen

doi:10.1080/15524256.2022.2027850

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Similar to our findings, they too found staff believed that they fell short in different domains of palliative care at the end of life due to the lack of physical contact, having to wear PPE and visiting restrictions. Other studies also showed that HCPs in different settings found it difficult to provide good emotional support to families due to limited family visits and not being able to touch them, in combination with digital communication not being satisfactory 14 16 18 19…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of COVID-19 on care at the end of life during the first months of the pandemic from the perspective of healthcare professionals from different settings: a qualitative interview study (the CO-LIVE study)

et al. 2023

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ObjectivesThe objective of this study is to better understand how the COVID-19 outbreak impacted the different domains of the palliative care approach to end-of-life care from the perspective of healthcare professionals (HCPs) from different professions, working in different settings during the first months of the COVID-19 outbreak in the Netherlands.MethodsAn in-depth qualitative interview study among 16 HCPs of patients who died between March and July 2020 in different healthcare settings in the Netherlands. The HCPs were recruited through an online survey about end-of-life care. Maximum variation sampling was used. Data were analysed following the principles of thematic analysis.ResultsSeveral aspects impacted the quality of the palliative care approach to care at the end of life. First, COVID-19 was a new disease and this led to challenges in the physical domain of end-of-life care, for example, a lack of knowledge on how to manage symptoms and an unreliable clinical view. Second, the high workload HCPs experienced impacted the quality of end-of-life care, especially in the emotional, social and spiritual domains, since they only had time for urgent, physical care. Third, COVID-19 is a contagious disease and measures taken to prevent the spread of the virus hampered care for both patients and relatives. For example, because of the visiting restrictions, HCPs were not able to provide emotional support to relatives. Finally, the COVID-19 outbreak also had a potentially positive impact in the longer term, for example, more awareness of advance care planning and the importance of end-of-life care that includes all the domains.ConclusionThe palliative care approach, which is key to good end-of-life care, was often negatively influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, predominantly in the emotional, social and spiritual domains. This was related to a focus on essential physical care and prevention of the spread of COVID-19.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of COVID-19 on care at the end of life during the first months of the pandemic from the perspective of healthcare professionals from different settings: a qualitative interview study (the CO-LIVE study)

et al. 2023

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“…22 Due to the associated restrictions, palliative care social workers adapted their practice to maintain contact with patients and relatives through innovative communication modalities and new strategies for intervention. 18,23 An international collaboration 24 highlighted how palliative care social workers in Argentina, India, Northern Ireland and Zimbabwe pivoted away from inpatient support to provide outreach, education, consultation, public health information or bereavement follow-up calls following deaths. Based on a survey conducted in the US, there were four central psychosocial challenges that patients and social workers had to face in hospice and palliative care during COVID-19 pandemic: isolation, barriers to communication, disruption of systems and issues related to grieving.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5 Relatives found telephone or virtual contact in place of face-to-face visits distressing, 15 they were seldom able to sit at the bedside or say goodbye in person 16 and some described the death of their loved one as traumatic. 17,18 People were confronted with restrictions when planning cremations, burials and funerals 19 due to limits on how many people who could attend funerals, which may increase the likelihood of prolonged grief disorders. 20 Negative psychosocial consequences have been described in the context of previous pandemics (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of COVID-19 on palliative care social work: An online survey by a European Association of Palliative Care Task Force

et al. 2023

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Background: The SARS-Cov-2 (COVID-19) pandemic affected the delivery of health and social care services globally. However, little is known about how palliative care social work services were impacted. Aim: The aim of this study was to capture and analyse data from palliative care social workers who provided professional support in a range of settings across 21 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: A cross-sectional survey-based design was used for this empirical study and this paper primarily focuses on the quantitative responses. Setting/participants: Participants, palliative care social workers, were drawn internationally via members of the EAPC Social Work Task Force and the World Hospice Palliative Care Social Work network. Results: We received 362 survey responses from 21 countries. Most (79%) respondents worked with adults in in-patient units or hospitals. The number of referrals during COVID-19 increased more in non-European countries, compared to European countries. The full range of social work services could no longer be delivered, existing services changed and 65.3% of participants reported higher levels of pressure during the pandemic, which was linked to higher levels of staff absence and additional duties. For many respondents (40.8%), this included facilitating online communication between patients and their families. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19 resulted in adaptations to service delivery, increased pressure on staff and moral distress, like other health and social care professions. All members of the palliative team need support and supervision to ensure effective interdisciplinary working and team cohesion.

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When ‘Being There’ Is Disallowed: Disruptions to Knowing and Caring During COVID-19 Visitor Restrictions

Cited by 2 publications

References 28 publications

Impact of COVID-19 on care at the end of life during the first months of the pandemic from the perspective of healthcare professionals from different settings: a qualitative interview study (the CO-LIVE study)

Impact of COVID-19 on care at the end of life during the first months of the pandemic from the perspective of healthcare professionals from different settings: a qualitative interview study (the CO-LIVE study)

The impact of COVID-19 on palliative care social work: An online survey by a European Association of Palliative Care Task Force

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