Of particular interest in this week's issue of Media Watch (copy attached):

Integration of palliative care into COVID-19 pandemic planning

BMJ SUPPORTIVE & PALLIATIVE CARE | Online – 9 June 2020 – The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to surpass the healthcare system’s capacity to provide intensive care to all patients who deteriorate as a result of the disease. This poses a unique challenge to healthcare teams of rationing care during a pandemic when resources are scarce. Healthcare providers will need to acquire new skills in care decision making and effective symptom control for patients who do not receive life-saving measures. In this review, the authors describe some of the important palliative care (PC) considerations that need to be incorporated into COVID-19 pandemic planning. The main aspects to be considered include decision algorithms for rationing care, training on effective symptoms management, alternative delivery methods of PC services such as telemedicine and finally death and bereavement support for surviving family members who are likely to be isolated from their loved one at the moment of death. Full text: https://bit.ly/2YslIRp

Human touch via touchscreen: Rural nurses’ experiential perspectives on telehealth use in pediatric hospice care