Palliative Care Should be Adapted for Severely Ill COVID-19 Patients

Emergency-style palliative care needs to executed to meet the needs of COVID-19 patients who wouldn't benefit from a ventilator, reports a new study.

New study describes how palliative care needs to adapt to an emergency style to help make the best decisions and support families. The findings of the study are published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.//

This is the first time that palliative care has been examined in light of the current global pandemic.

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‘Most patients with COVID-19 need palliative care input due to the significant symptom burden.’

The researchers describe the challenges of providing palliative care where resources are stretched, and demand is high, based on their experiences at a hospital in Switzerland close to the Italian border where there are high rates of the illness.

Professor Nancy Preston, Co-Director of Lancaster University's International Observatory on End of Life Care, said: "Many patients are too unwell to benefit from ventilation but still need their symptoms managing."

Professor Preston said: "These people require a conservative approach to their treatment, one which provides maximum support for their physical, emotional and spiritual needs - this is where a recognition that palliative care is required is crucial."

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The team-based their recommendation on caring for severely ill patients with COVID-19 in the Swiss hospital where treatment plans have changed dramatically.

This is due to a range of factors including competition for palliative care drugs, which are also used in ICU, as well as healthcare workers untrained in palliative care being re-allocated from their own specialties to care for patients with COVID-19.

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"It is emergency style palliative care because patients can deteriorate quickly and need a rapid response from their health care team. It is crucial that patients with a high symptom burden are assessed and treated quickly - the recommendations in this paper based on front line experience can make a difference. This approach is, therefore, being used across the hospital and in emergency departments too."

"Palliative care teams, intensivists, and internal medicine specialists all work side by side as palliative care is recognized to be at the forefront of this crisis, as it can offer symptom management, support to families and spiritual care in a timely manner."

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Source-Eurekalert