gms | German Medical Science

21. Deutscher Kongress für Versorgungsforschung

Deutsches Netzwerk Versorgungsforschung e. V.

05.10. - 07.10.2022, Potsdam

Developing a handbook to address pandemic-related challenges in nursing, palliative, and hospice care

Meeting Abstract

  • Kübra Annac - Universität Witten/Herdecke, Fakultät für Gesundheit/Department für Humanmedizin, Lehrstuhl für Versorgungsforschung, Witten, Deutschland
  • Diana Wahidie - Universität Witten/Herdecke, Fakultät für Gesundheit/Department für Humanmedizin, Lehrstuhl für Versorgungsforschung, Witten, Deutschland
  • Ilknur Özer Erdogdu - Universität Witten/Herdecke, Fakultät für Gesundheit/Department für Humanmedizin, Lehrstuhl für Versorgungsforschung, Witten, Deutschland
  • Kerstin Brauer - Universität Witten/Herdecke, Fakultät für Gesundheit/Department für Humanmedizin, Lehrstuhl für Versorgungsforschung, Witten, Deutschland
  • Sabahat Ölcer - Universität Witten/Herdecke, Fakultät für Gesundheit/Department für Humanmedizin, Lehrstuhl für Versorgungsforschung, Witten, Deutschland
  • Idris Munzir - Universität Witten/Herdecke, Fakultät für Gesundheit/Department für Humanmedizin, Lehrstuhl für Versorgungsforschung, Witten, Deutschland
  • Kübra Altinok - Universität Witten/Herdecke, Fakultät für Gesundheit/Department für Humanmedizin, Lehrstuhl für Versorgungsforschung, Witten, Deutschland
  • Latife Pacolli - Universität Witten/Herdecke, Fakultät für Gesundheit/Department für Humanmedizin, Lehrstuhl für Versorgungsforschung, Witten, Deutschland
  • Stephan Probst - Klinikum Bielefeld, Klinik für Hämatologie, Onkologie und Palliativmedizin, Bielefeld, Deutschland
  • Yüce Yılmaz-Aslan - Universität Witten/Herdecke, Fakultät für Gesundheit/Department für Humanmedizin, Lehrstuhl für Versorgungsforschung, Witten, Deutschland; Universität Bielefeld, Fakultät für Gesundheitswissenschaften, AG3 Epidemiologie und International Public Health, Bielefeld, Deutschland; Universität Bielefeld, Fakultät für Gesundheitswissenschaften, AG6 Versorgungsforschung und Pflegewissenschaft, Bielefeld, Deutschland
  • Patrick Brzoska - Universität Witten/Herdecke, Fakultät für Gesundheit/Department für Humanmedizin, Lehrstuhl für Versorgungsforschung, Witten, Deutschland

21. Deutscher Kongress für Versorgungsforschung (DKVF). Potsdam, 05.-07.10.2022. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2022. Doc22dkvf330

doi: 10.3205/22dkvf330, urn:nbn:de:0183-22dkvf3300

Veröffentlicht: 30. September 2022

© 2022 Annac et al.
Dieser Artikel ist ein Open-Access-Artikel und steht unter den Lizenzbedingungen der Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (Namensnennung). Lizenz-Angaben siehe http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.


Gliederung

Text

Background: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing, palliative and hospice care facilities are facing different challenges. Amongst others, they result from the advanced age and pre-existing diseases of those in need of care, which are risk factors for a severe course of COVID-19. In addition, necessary protective measures such as visitation restrictions can create legal, social and ethical dilemmas between infection control and the protection of vulnerable individuals on the one hand, and ensuring basic patient rights on the other hand.

Question and objective: The aim of this study was to develop a handbook to support nursing, palliative and hospice facilities in dealing with pandemic-related challenges.

Methods: The study used a mixed-methods design that included a scoping review of existing recommendations for nursing, palliative and hospice facilities (n=51), a document analysis of 138 facility websites, ten qualitative telephone interviews with family members of patients receiving palliative care, a nationwide online survey of nursing, palliative and hospice facilities (n=10,718) and interviews with seven staff members of selected facilities. Data from each research approach were triangulated and synthesized into a handbook. The handbook was discussed and consented in two discussion circles with relatives and experts.

Results: The handbook contains recommendations for addressing pandemic-related challenges in nursing, palliative and hospice care and is divided into two parts. The first part presents measures for preparation and organization, hygiene and infection control, human resources management, procurement of and equipment with protective materials, interaction with external institutions, and psychosocial support for those in need of care and their relatives, as well as for healthcare workers. In the second part, selected aspects such as needs of patients, visitor policies, staff wellbeing and vaccination are examined from an ethics perspective applying the principles of Beauchamp and Childress [1].

Discussion: The handbook developed can help address pandemic-related challenges and provide support. It consists of concrete recommendations for action and information on how to deal with potential problem situations. In the form of hands-on advice, the handbook can thus promote organization and patient-orientation in care.

Practical implications: The handbook can support facilities in addressing the current as well as future pandemics and other public health crises, by providing evidence-based, hands-on recommendations. For this, the handbook must be made available to facilities and their staff and should be further evaluated with respect to its usability in future research.

Appeal to practice (science and/or care) in one sentence: The handbook can promote the implementation of crisis-sensitive care in facilities - but in doing so, facilities must also be supported by care providers and other stakeholders in order to overcome existing implementation barriers.

Funding: Einzelförderung (BMG, DRV, BMBF, DFG, etc); 01KI20126


References

1.
Beauchamp TL, Childress JF. Principles of Biomedical Ethics. 7th ed. Oxford University Press, New York Oxford; 2013.