Published in Palliative Medicine, a new research paper from Collaborative colleagues engaged in the Co-LIVE study is the first to highlight the experiences of health and social care professionals caring for dying people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This qualitative study found that the pressures of the pandemic increased the practical and emotional pressures faced by health care professionals, including:
increases in the number of patients receiving end of life care
reduced staffing levels due to staff sickness and redeployment
deaths among colleagues and professionals' own family members
dilemmas and tensions among staff and relatives in relation to end-of-life visits
The study also suggests that working environments that advocate self-care and reflection, as well as access to psychological support, are required in order to promote the well-being of clinicians both during and after a pandemic.
You can access the full Palliative Medicine paper here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/02692163211017808
The study was embedded within a national UK survey undertaken as part of the International Collaborative's iLIVE project, led by Erasmus University in Rotterdam.