Palliativpflege und Medizin

Abstrakt

Near Far Wherever You Are: The Role of Video Consulting in Palliative Care

Poppy Wright, Gemma Johns, Sara Kahlil, Mike Oggonosky and Alka Ahuja

The covid-19 outbreak has been a source of undeniable hardship for many healthcare systems globally, including the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). For clinicians, maintaining the safety of vulnerable patients became a more complex endeavor due to the added risk of virus transmission. Thus, the government adopted strict social distancing and shielding measures to facilitate infection control and ensure those who were vulnerable due to a high morbidity and mortality risk were protected. Consequentially, many patients and their families were left feeling isolated. With physical safety taking priority, the traditional methods used to conduct consultations were no longer considered safe. To ensure healthcare continuity, clinicians from all specialties began developing novel ways to communicate with patients via video conferencing platforms. These methods reflected an increasingly widespread reliance on telecommunication among the public as a result of the pandemic. Thus, from the rubble rose an influx of innovation, which helped shape a new era of digital healthcare.