[Recommendations for the support of suffering, severely ill, dying or grieving persons in the corona pandemic from a palliative care perspective : Recommendations of the German Society for Palliative Medicine (DGP), the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive and Emergency Medicine (DIVI), the Federal Association for Grief Counseling (BVT), the Working Group for Psycho-oncology in the German Cancer Society, the German Association for Social Work in the Healthcare System (DVSG) and the German Association for Systemic Therapy, Counseling and Family Therapy (DGSF)]. / Empfehlungen zur Unterstützung von belasteten, schwerstkranken, sterbenden und trauernden Menschen in der Corona-Pandemie aus palliativmedizinischer Perspektive : Empfehlungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Palliativmedizin (DGP), der Deutschen Interdisziplinären Vereinigung für Intensiv- und Notfallmedizin (DIVI), des Bundesverbands Trauerbegleitung (BVT), der Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Psychoonkologie in der Deutschen Krebsgesellschaft, der Deutschen Vereinigung für Soziale Arbeit im Gesundheitswesen (DVSG) und der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Systemische Therapie, Beratung und Familientherapie (DGSF).

ABSTRACT

The corona pandemic has led to a number of restrictions and prohibitions, which in turn place large psychosocial or spiritual burdens on patients with COVID-19, their families and relatives and the treating personnel in the healthcare system. Patients with COVID-19 are not allowed to receive visitors and many hospitals and nursing homes have completely banned visitors. Many support services have been reduced or stopped completely. Necessary treatment interventions for other patients with critical and life-limiting diseases have been delayed or suspended in order to free resources for the expected COVID-19 patients; however, these people need to feel social connectedness with their relatives. Palliative care patients should be exempted from any ban on visitors. Families should be able to visit dying patients even on intensive care units or isolation wards, using adequate protective equipment. Alternative options, such as video telephone calls or via social media should be explored for patients in isolation. Families should also be enabled to say goodbye to the deceased with adequate protective equipment or should be offered alternative real or virtual options for remembrance and commemoration. Health care professionals coping with the exceptional stress should be continuously supported. This requires clear communication and leadership structures, communication training, psychosocial support, but most of all optimal framework conditions for the clinical work.