COVID-19 Lessons: The Alignment of Palliative Medicine and Trauma-Informed Care

As the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, its psychological, emotional, and existential toll continues to grow and indeed may now rival the physical suffering caused by the illness. Patients, caregivers, and healthcare workers are particularly at risk for trauma responses and would be well served by trauma-informed care (TIC) practices to minimize both immediate and long-term psychological distress. Given the significant overlap between the core tenets of TIC and accepted guidelines for the provision of quality palliative care (PC), PC teams are particularly well poised to both incorporate such practices into routine care and to argue for their integration across health systems.

Source: Journal of Pain and Symptom Management - May 17, 2020 Category: Palliative Care Authors: Chelsea Brown, Sarah Peck, Jessi Humphreys, Laura Schoenherr, Naomi Tzril Saks, Bridget Sumser, Giovanni Elia Tags: COVID-19 for Fast Track Publication Source Type: research