Palliative care, end-of-life care, and COVID-19: A scoping review

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 exacerbated the deficit of palliative and end-of-life care provision and increased healthcare services' burden, but the extent of the literature on that topic is unknown. Objective: To describe the evidence of palliative and end-of-life care provision in adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: The scoping review was performed according to Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework. The search was conducted in English and Spanish, in PubMed, SciELO, the Virtual Health Library, and the Coronavirus research database. The articles were filtered by title, abstract, and full text. The results were summarized according to the charting technique. Results: Fifty-one publications were included. A total of five categories emerged: 1) Palliative care characteristics, 2) advanced care planning, 3) support for family members and loved ones, 4) telehealth, and 5) nursing role in palliative care. Discussion: The social cost of the pandemic is reflected in the increased burden of palliative care units, higher mortality rates, and the decreased average age of death. Future studies should address the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on patients' loved ones, as well as the impact at the community level. Conclusions: Palliative and end-of-life care is an essential tool for COVID-19 patients care. The pandemic has enhanced the development of information and communication technologies to deliver palliative care.