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服务。姑息治疗转诊可能适合为症状、预先护理计划或照顾者的痛苦提供额外的支持。自 COVID 以来，许多姑息治疗提供者通过远程医疗变得更容易获得；然而，老年人可能会遇到技术挑战，需要护理人员参与才能使用。在住院环境中，姑息咨询团队在与无法探望患者的家人的日常沟通以及为一线同事提供情感支持方面发挥了更大的作用。忙碌的初级临床医生已经接受了这些努力，但维持这些变化仍然存在挑战。