Emergency-style palliative care is necessary to meet the needs of COVID-19 patients who won’t benefit from a ventilator, say specialist researchers.

The investigators’ newly published recommendations are based on the experience of those caring for severely ill patients in a Swiss hospital bordering Italy, where resources are stretched and demand is high.

Most patients with COVID-19 will need some palliative care input due to the large symptom burden and the need for clear communication with patients and their families, wrote Professor Nancy Preston, co-director of Lancaster University’s International Observatory on End of Life Care in the United Kingdom. 

“It is emergency style palliative care because patients can deteriorate quickly and need a rapid response from their health care team. Decisions need to be made quickly, and treatment plans need to be clear and simple to follow for the generalist staff caring for them,” she noted. 

A conservative approach to treatment is ideal; one which provides maximum support for physical, emotional and spiritual needs, investigators added. “This is where a recognition that palliative care is required is crucial,” concluded Preston, who studies service delivery models for palliative care.

The authors’ recommendations cover needs assessment in patients who are stable, unstable or at the end of life. Full findings are available in a paper published in The Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.