Articles: pandemics.
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Therapeutic presence is one of the fundamental skills that palliative care providers have to offer. The COVID-19 pandemic has created many barriers to connection that impact the way providers practice. This narrative piece about a remote cross-country palliative care encounter offers reflections on creating therapeutic presence amidst the current pandemic.
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Critical care medicine · May 2022
Impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Moral Distress Among Nurses and Physicians in Spanish ICUs.
To assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on moral distress (MD) among healthcare professionals (HCPs) (physicians and nurses) in Spanish ICUs. ⋯ MD has increased among ICU HCPs in Spain during COVID-19 pandemic. Physicians reported higher MD levels than nurses in the prepandemic period, whereas both HCPs groups reported similar MD levels in the pandemic period. Strategies are needed and should be implemented to mitigate MD among HCPs.
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Stay-at-home orders, social isolation recommendations, and fear of COVID-19 exposure have led to delays in children's preventive health services during the pandemic. Delays can lead to missed opportunities for early screening and detection of health problems, and increased risks for outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. Understanding prevalence of and reasons for missed, delayed, or skipped preventive health services is important for developing strategies to achieve rapid catch-up of essential health services. ⋯ Physician office closures and concern about COVID-19 exposure resulted in over one-quarter of parents delaying preventive services for their children since the pandemic began. Coordinated efforts are needed to achieve rapid catch-up of preventive services and routine vaccines.
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The effects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in humanitarian contexts are not well understood. Specific vulnerabilities in such settings raised concerns about the ability to respond and maintain essential health services. This study describes the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Azraq and Zaatari refugee camps in Jordan (population: 37,932 and 79,034, respectively) and evaluates changes in routine health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ COVID-19 transmission was lower in camps than outside of camps. Refugees may have been affected from external transmission, rather than driving it. Various types of health services were affected differently, but disruptions appear to have been limited in the 2 camps compared to other noncamp settings. These insights into Jordan's refugee camps during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic set the stage for follow-up research to investigate how infection susceptibility evolved over time, as well as which mitigation strategies were more successful and accepted.
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Mental health problems increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The knowledge that one is less at risk after being vaccinated may alleviate distress, but this hypothesis remains unexplored. This study tests whether psychological distress declined in those vaccinated against COVID-19 in the U.S. and whether changes in anticipatory fears mediated any association. ⋯ COVID-19 vaccination was associated with declines in distress and perceived risks of infection, hospitalization, and death. Vaccination campaigns could promote these additional benefits of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.