Comparative end-of-life communication and support in hospitalised decedents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective regional cohort study in Ottawa, Canada.
Peter G LawlorHenrique ParsonsSamantha Rose AdeliElla BessererLeila CohenValérie GrattonRebekah MurphyGrace WarmelsAdrianna BruniMonisha KabirChelsea NoelBrandon HeidingerKoby AndersonKyle Arsenault-MehtaKrista WoollerJulie LapenskieColleen WebberDaniel BedardPaula EnrightIsabelle DesjardinsKhadija BhimjiClaire DyasonAkshai IyengarShirley H BushSarina IsenbergPeter TanuseputroBrandi Vanderspank-WrightJames DownarPublished in: BMJ open (2022)
In hospitalised COVID-19 pandemic wave 1 decedents, in-person family presence and in-person team-family communication encounters decreased at end of life, particularly in the COVID+ve group; virtual modalities were adopted for communication, and telephone use increased in team-family communication encounters. The implications of these communication changes for the patient, family and healthcare team warrant further study.