ABSTRACT

Older adults with multimorbidity face difficulty accessing healthcare in the COVID era. Palliative care referral may be appropriate to provide additional support for symptoms, advance care planning, or caregiver distress. Since COVID, many palliative care providers have become more accessible through telehealth; however, older adults may have challenges with technology and require caregiver involvement to use. In the inpatient setting, palliative consult teams have assumed a greater role in daily communication with families who cannot visit the patient and in providing emotional support to front-line colleagues. Busy primary clinicians have embraced these efforts, but challenges remain to sustaining these changes.

摘要

在COVID时代，患有多种疾病的老年人难以获得医疗保健。姑息治疗转诊可能是适当的，以为症状，预先护理计划或护理人员困扰提供更多支持。自从COVID以来，许多姑息治疗提供者已经可以通过远程医疗获得更多服务；但是，老年人可能在技术方面遇到挑战，需要护理人员的参与才能使用。在住院方面，姑息咨询小组在与无法看望患者的家庭进行日常交流以及为一线同事提供情感支持方面发挥了更大的作用。繁忙的基层临床医生已经接受了这些努力，但是维持这些变化仍然面临挑战。