Carlos Rodrigues and Pedro Tavares , nurses from the Palliative Care Unit at Hospital da Luz Lisbon, and Isabel Galriça Neto , physician and director of that unit, are the authors of a scientific article, published this month on the website Cureus – Journal of Medical Science, about impact of COVID-19 on palliative care . The article describes the main challenges that the pandemic posed to health professionals working in palliative care, revealing that the provision of this care was negatively affected at various levels, namely in the relationship and communication with patients and their families, in teamwork dynamics and the use of health resources associated with the provision of Palliative Care. As this is a qualitative study, the main conclusion is that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the provision of palliative care, challenging the teams involved in this care to quickly adjust to new realities to ensure adequate care for their patients. patients. To that extent, the authors say, two areas were identified in which it is necessary to define and adopt new work and organization strategies for teams, either directly in the relationship with the patient and their family, or in the interprofessional relationship. According to the study, the provision of Palliative Care during a pandemic was affected by substantial changes in the relationship and communication between professionals and patients and their caregivers or families, and in the use of health resources. To reduce the impact of these changes for future scenarios of substantial change in circumstances, health professionals involved in Palliative Care have identified strategies to improve the provision of this care , noting that, during this pandemic, it was imperative to implement rigorous resource management strategies specialized humans. On the other hand, they stated that physical distance and personal protective equipment are barriers to communication and emotional support, essential in Palliative Care and that this barrier is even more accentuated by the physical distance required from family members and caregivers. This is always without losing sight of the fact that the main objective of providing Palliative Care continues to be the alleviation of suffering, both for patients and for their caregivers and family members. The study was published on November 13, the sample includes health professionals from the Palliative Care Unit of Hospital da Luz Lisbon, respecting specific inclusion criteria such as basic training in palliative care and professional experience in the area for more than 1 year. "The isolation of the family and social circle, the perception of risk for the entire family of transmission of COVID-19 infection, plus the uncertainty as to its effect and, in some cases, the guilt of having been a possible transmitter, are factors that contribute to the emotional response to this pandemic. The reduction of contact between patients and health professionals, knowing that proximity and physical contact can be therapeutic, is also a factor that contributes to the increase in suffering", reads this article, which adds: "The health professionals health care providers face not only enormous care pressure, but also difficulty in providing individualized support. Many feel overwhelmed by circumstances, some directly affected and others in need of support to face such complex situations. Resilience among health professionals should be promoted, support and promote team cohesion”. Palliative care must be provided to all those who need it, with or without COVID-19. The authors conclude, "that to the fundamental objective of limiting the spread of the disease and increasing the probability of recovery, we must add the proportion of quality, comfort, dignity and compassion, to those who so much need it." Read the article: The Impact of COVID-19 on Palliative Care: Perspective of Healthcare Professionals
