Situation analysis: hospital palliative care teams in the covid-19 era

Abstract

This situation analysis describes experiences of 10 hospital-based palliative care teams caring
for patients with covid-19 during the second wave of coronavirus pandemic from October till
December 2020 in the Czech Republic. During that period, approximately 10 % of patients these
teams were taking care of, were patients with covid-19. Palliative teams adapted to the distance
form of communication, which they consider a possible but not full-fledged substitute for personal
contact with the patient and his family. The crisis situation associated with the covid-19 pandemic
further showed that palliative teams in our country are not yet a standard part of hospital medicine
and it would be highly beneficial to make better use of their potential in the situation of limited
resources. That presents a considerable challenge for the further approach to and management
of the pandemic.