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Dying in Isolation

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Nurses and COVID-19: Ethical Considerations in Pandemic Care

Abstract

Palliative care is a nursing and medical specialty focused on providing comfort to those with chronic, life-limiting illness from diagnosis to the end of life through symptom management, aligning goals of care, and providing psychosocial/spiritual support. During the COVID-19 pandemic, millions experienced new, rapid symptoms and many faced untimely deaths. As experts in end-of-life care, palliative care clinicians played a vital role in pandemic care. Yet, the delivery of palliative care required significant adjustments due to visitor restrictions and isolation precautions. These changes included, but are not limited to, communication styles, involvement of family in symptom management, and adoption of telehealth. Throughout pandemic care, palliative care clinicians were also helping patients, families, and clinicians navigate a multitude of ethical decisions, including supporting frontline healthcare workers. This chapter focuses on palliative and end-of-life issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Anessa M. Foxwell

  2. Clinical Practices of the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Anessa M. Foxwell

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  1. Anessa M. Foxwell
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Correspondence to Anessa M. Foxwell .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing and Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Connie M. Ulrich

  2. Clinical Center, Department of Bioethics, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Christine Grady

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Foxwell, A.M. (2022). Dying in Isolation. In: Ulrich, C.M., Grady, C. (eds) Nurses and COVID-19: Ethical Considerations in Pandemic Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82113-5_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82113-5_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-82112-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-82113-5

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