• Irene J Higginson, Mevhibe B Hocaoglu, Lorna K Fraser, Matthew Maddocks, Katherine E Sleeman, Adejoke O Oluyase, Rachel L Chambers, Nancy Preston, Lesley Dunleavy, Andy Bradshaw, Sabrina Bajwah, MurtaghFliss E MFEMWolfson Palliative Care Research Centre (A.B., F.E.M.M.), Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Hull, UK., Catherine Walshe, and CovPall study team.
• Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care (I.J.H., M.H., M.M., K.F.S., A.O.O., R.L.C., S.B.), Policy and Rehabilitation, King's College London, London, UK; King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (I.J.H., K.F.S.), Denmark Hill, UK. Electronic address: irene.higginson@kcl.ac.uk.
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2022 Oct 1; 64 (4): 377390377-390.

ContextEvidence of symptom control outcomes in severe COVID is scant.ObjectivesTo determine changes in symptoms among people severely ill or dying with COVID supported by palliative care, and associations with treatments and survival.MethodsMulticentre cohort study of people with COVID across England and Wales supported by palliative care services, during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. We analysed clinical, demographic and survival data, symptom severity at baseline (referral to palliative care, first COVID assessment) and at three follow-up assessments using the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale - COVID version.ResultsWe included 572 patients from 25 services, mostly hospital support teams; 496 (87%) were newly referred to palliative care with COVID, 75 (13%) were already supported by palliative care when they contracted COVID. At baseline, patients had a mean of 2.4 co-morbidities, mean age 77 years, a mean of five symptoms, and were often bedfast or semiconscious. The most prevalent symptoms were: breathlessness, weakness/lack of energy, drowsiness, anxiety, agitation, confusion/delirium, and pain. Median time in palliative care was 46 hours; 77% of patients died. During palliative care, breathlessness, agitation, anxiety, delirium, cough, fever, pain, sore/dry mouth and nausea improved; drowsiness became worse. Common treatments were low dose morphine and midazolam. Having moderate to severe breathlessness, agitation and multimorbidity were associated with shorter survival.ConclusionSymptoms of COVID quickly improved during palliative care. Breathlessness, agitation and multimorbidity could be used as triggers for timelier referral, and symptom guidance for wider specialities should build on treatments identified in this study.Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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