Palliative Care during COVID-19 Pandemic: Practical Recommendations from Literature Evidence
References
- The Lancet. Palliative care and the COVID19 pandemic. Lancet. 2020; 395(10231): 1168.
- Etkind SN, Bone AE, Lovell N, Cripps RL, Harding R, Higginson IJ, et al. The role and response of palliative care and hospice services in epidemics and pandemics: a rapid review to inform practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2020; 60(1): e31–e40.
- World Health Organization (2020). COVID19: operational guidance for maintaining essential health services during an outbreak. Available at:
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331561/WHO-2019-nCoV-essential_health_services-2020.1-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y (accessed 11 January 2022). - Bhadelia A, Grant L, De Lima L, Knaul F, Pettus K. How pandemics affect health systems and resource allocation: impact on palliative care. In: De Lima L, Pettus K, Downing J, Connor S, Marston J, editors. Palliative care and Covid-19 series - briefing notes compilation. Houston: IAHPC Press; 2020. p. 5–7.
- Ali Z, Bates J, Chandra L, Connor S, Hamzah E, Luyirika E, et al. Response to the COVID19 pandemic in low- and middle-income countries. In De Lima L, Pettus K, Downing J, Connor S, Marston J, editors. Palliative care and Covid-19 series - briefing notes compilation. Houston: IAHPC Press; 2020. p. 8–10.
- World Health Organization (2002). Palliative care. Available at:
www.who.int/cancer/palliative/en (accessed 11 January 2022). - Downing J, Milićević N, Haraldsdottir E, Ely J. (2012). Palijativna medicina: priručnik za studente medicine. Beograd: Medicinski fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu.
- Radbruch L, De Lima L, Knaul F, Wenk R, Ali Z, Bhatnaghar S, et al. Redefining palliative care - a new consensus based definition. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2020; 60(4): 754–64.
- World Health Assembly (2014). Strengthening of palliative care as a component of comprehensive care throughout the life course. Available at:
https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA67/A67_R19-en.pdf (accessed 11 January 2022). - Bogićević M. (2020). Palijativno zbrinjavanje, vodič za zaposlene u socijalnoj zaštiti. Beograd: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
- Watts L, Davies H, Gupta H, Thompson S. How people with pre-existing palliative care needs are affected by the COVID19 pandemic. In: De Lima L, Pettus K, Downing J, Connor S, Marston J, editors. Palliative care and Covid-19 series - briefing notes compilation. Houston: IAHPC Press; 2020. p. 34–36.
- Curtis JR, Kross EK, Stapleton RD. The importance of addressing advance care planning and decisions about Do-not-resuscitate orders during novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). JAMA. 2020; 323(18): 1771–2.
- Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (2021). Intensive care medicine: triage under resource scarcity. Available at:
http://www.sams.ch/en/coronavirus (accessed 12 January 2022). - Parsons JA, Johal HK. Best interests versus resource allocation: could COVID-19 cloud decision-making for the cognitively impaired? J Med Ethics. 2020; 46(7): 447–50.
- Rosa WE, Davidson PM. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): strengthening our resolve to achieve universal palliative care. Int Nurs Rev. 2020; 67(2): 160–3.
- Etkind SN, Bone AE, Lovell N, Cripps RL, Harding R, Higginson IJ, et al. The role and response of palliative care and hospice services in epidemics and pandemics: a rapid review to inform practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Pain Symptom Manag. 2020; 60(1): e31–e40.
- Downar J, Seccareccia D. Palliating a pandemic: “all patients must be cared for. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2010; 39(2): 291–5.
- Gilissen J, Pivodic L, Unroe KT, Van den Block L. International COVID-19 palliative care guidance for nursing homes leaves key themes unaddressed. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2020; 60(2): e56–e69.
- Group of Belgian geriatricians: University Hospital Leuven, University Hospital Gent and Crataegus (2020). COVID-19 guideline regarding symptom management and clinical decision-making in nursing homes. Available at:
https://www.endoflifecare.be/covid-19-guideline-for-symptom-management-and-clinical-decision-making-for-nursing-homes (accessed 12 January 2022). - Kamal AH, Casarett DJ, Meier DE. Compassion in a crisis: the role of palliative care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayo Clin Proc. 2020; 95(11): 2325–6.
- Soosaipillai G, Wu A, Dettorre GM, Diamantis N, Chester J, Moss C, et al. Specialist palliative and end-of-life caren for patients with cancer and SARS-CoV-2 infection: a European perspective. Ther Adv Med Oncol. 2021; 13: 17588359211042224.
- Jordan RE, Adab P, Cheng KK. Covid-19: risk factors for severe disease and death. BMJ. 2020; 368: m1198.
- Bolt SR, Van der Steen JT, Mujezinovic I, Janssen DJA, Schols JMGA, Zwakhalen SMG, et all. Practical nursing recommendations for palliative care for people with dementia living in long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic: a rapid scoping review. Int J Nurs Stud. 2021; 113: 103781.
- Wu C, Chen X, Cai Y, Xia J, Zhou X, Xu S, et al. Risk factors associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome and death in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia in Wuhan, China. JAMA Intern Med. 2020; 180(7): 934–43.
- Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (2006). Medical-ethical guidelines: palliative care. Available at:
www.assm.ch/dam/jcr:0676cb80-e902-4634-ae54-91f2bfc679c6/guidelines_sams_palliative_care_2012.pdf (accessed 12 January 2022). - Bauer A, Dixon J, Comas-Herrera A (2020). End-of-life support for people in care homes in the context of COVID-19: international report. Available at:
https://ltccovid.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Palliative-care-in-care-homes-and-COVID-1-May-2020.pdf (accessed 12 January 2022). - Shahid Z, Kalayanamitra R, McClafferty B, Kepko D, Ramgobin D, Patel R, et al. COVID-19 and older adults: what we know. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020; 68(5): 926–9.
- The Guardian (2020). Half of coronavirus deaths happen in care homes, data from EU suggests. Available at:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/13/half-of-coronavirus-deaths-happen-in-care-homes-data-from-eu-suggests (accessed 12 January 2022). - Roland K, Markus M. COVID-19 pandemic: palliative care for elderly and frail patients at home and in residential and nursing homes. Swiss Med Wkly. 2020; 150: w20235.
- Wang H, Li T, Barbarino P, Gauthier S, Brodaty H, Molinuevoet JL, al. Dementia care during COVID-19. Lancet. 2020; 395(10231): 1190–1.
- Clarfield AM, Dwolatzky T, Brill S, Press Y, Glick S, Shvartzman P, et al. Israel ad hoc COVID 19 committee: guidelines for care of older persons during a pandemic. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020; 68(7): 1370–5.
- Atkins JL, Masoli JAH, Delgado J, Pilling LC, Kuo CLC, Kuchel G, et al. Preexisting comorbidities predicing severe Covid-19 and mortality in the UK Biobank community cohort. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2020; 75(11): 2224–30.
- Livingsto G, Weidner W; Alzheimer’s Disease International (2020). COVID-19 and dementia: difficult decisions about hospital admission and triage. Available at:
https://www.alz.co.uk/news/adi-releases-position-paper-on-covid-19-and-dementia (accessed 13 January 2022). - Lapid MI, Koopmans R, Sampson EL, Van den Block L, Peisah C. Providing quality end of life care to older people in the era of COVID-19: Perspectives from five countries. Int Psychogeriatr. 2020; 32(11): 1345–52.
- Velayudhan L, Aarsland D, Ballard C. Mental health of people living with dementia in care homes during COVID-19 pandemic. Int Psychogeriatr. 2020; 32(10): 1253–4.
- Radbruch L, Knaul FM, De Lima L, De Joncheere C, Bhadelia A. The key role of palliative care in response to the COVID-19 tsunami of suffering. Lancet. 2020; 395(10235): 1467–9.
- Macleod RD, Van den Block L. (2019). Textbook of Palliative Care. Switzerland: Springer Nature.
- Pivodic L, Smets T, Van den Noortgate N, Onwuteaka-Philipsen BD, Engels Y, Szczerbińska K, et al. Quality of dying and quality of end-of-life care of nursing home residents in six countries: an epidemiological study. Palliat Med. 2018; 32(10): 1584–95.
- Wentlandt K, Cook R, Morgan M, Nowell A, Kaya E, Zimmermann C. Palliative care in Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2021; 62(3): 615–8.
- Boddaert MS, Stoppelenburg A, Hasselaar J, Van der Linden YM, Vissers KCP, Raijmakers NJH, et al. Specialist palliative care teams and characteristics related to referral rate: a national cross-sectional survey among hospitals in the Netherlands. BMC Palliat Care. 2021; 20(1): 175.
- Poi CH, Koh MY, Neo HY, Hum AY. Palliative care in a COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU): challenges and recommendations for palliative care teams in a pandemic ICU. Ann Acad Med Singap. 2020; 49(7): 517–22.
- Walker KA, Mayo RL, Camire LM, Kearney CD. Effectiveness of integration of palliative medicine specialist services into the intensive care unit of a community teaching hospital. J Palliat Med. 2013; 16(10): 1237–41.
- National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care (2022). COVID-19 resources: open letter to hospice and palliative care professionals - COVID-19 vaccine. Available at:
https://www.nationalcoalitionhpc.org/COVID19/ (accessed 13 January 2022). - International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (2020). Resources relevant to palliative care and COVID-19. Available at:
http://globalpalliativecare.org/covid-19/ (accessed 13 January 2022). - Radbruch L, Chan KS, Ali Z. Recommendations for symptom control of patients with COVID19. In: De Lima L, Pettus K, Downing J, Connor S, Marston J, editors. Palliative care and Covid-19 series - briefing notes compilation. Houston: IAHPC Press; 2020. p. 20–23.
- Allsop M, Zakhem E, Garrigue N, Namisango E, Osman H, Piriz G, et al. The role of telemedicine: remote access to patients, caregivers and health workers. In: De Lima L, Pettus K, Downing J, Connor S, Marston J, editors. Palliative care and Covid-19 series - briefing notes compilation. Houston: IAHPC Press; 2020. p. 59–61.
- Casarett D, Teno J. Why population health and palliative care need each other. JAMA. 2016; 316(1): 27–8.
- Lohman D, Brennan F, Gwyther L, Kiyange F, Rakhanskyi A. The COVID19 pandemic: palliative care and human rights. In: De Lima L, Pettus K, Downing J, Connor S, Marston J, editors. Palliative care and Covid-19 series - briefing notes compilation. Houston: IAHPC Press; 2020. p. 11–13.
- Nowak M, Hunt P (2008). Special Rapporteurs on the question of torture and the right of everyone to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Letter to Mr D. Best, Vice-Chairperson of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. Available at:
http://www.ihra.net/Assets/1384/1/SpecialRapporteursLettertoCND012009.pdf (accessed 13 January 2022). - United Nations (2020). Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID19 on older persons. Available at:
https://unsdg.un.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/Policy-Brief-The-Impact-of-COVID-19-on-Older-Persons.pdf (accessed 13 January 2022). - World Health Assembly (2020). COVID-19 response. Available at:
https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA73/A73_CONF1Rev1-en.pdf (accessed 14 January 2022). - International Narcotics Control Board (2020). The International Narcotics Control Board calls on governments to ensure continued access to controlled medicines for pain relief and palliative care and for mental health and neurological conditions during the COVID19 pandemic. Available at:
https://www.incb.org/incb/en/news/press-releases/2020/incb-calls-ongovernments-to-ensure-continued-access-to-controlled-medicines-during-the-covid-19-pandemic.html (accessed 15 January 2022). - World Health Assembly (2014). Strengthening of palliative care as a component of comprehensive care throughout the life course. Available at:
https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA67/A67_R19-en.pdf (accessed 15 January 2022). - UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (2000). General Comment no. 14. The right to the highest attainable standard of health. Available at:
https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/425041 (accessed 14 January 2022). - Ahmed E, Mattfeld E, Pettus K, Radbruch L, Rajagopal MR. Global availability of internationally controlled essential medicines. In: De Lima L, Pettus K, Downing J, Connor S, Marston J, editors. Palliative care and Covid-19 series - briefing notes compilation. Houston: IAHPC Press; 2020. p. 17–19.
Language: English
Submitted on: Feb 12, 2022
Accepted on: Feb 22, 2022
Published on: Apr 6, 2026
Published by: University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Medical Sciences
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 4 issues per year
Keywords:
Related subjects:
© 2026 Scepan Z. Sinanovic, Olivera Z. Milovanovic, Tanja T. Prodovic, Biljana Jakovljevic, Vladislava Stojic, Katarina Djordjevic, published by University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Medical Sciences
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.