Open AccessTelephone communication with relatives of hospitalised COVID-19 patients by a specialised family support team: lessons learned
Author(s) -
Ara Ayora,
Carmen Nogueras,
Sonia Jiménez-Panés,
Sergi Cortiñas-Rovira
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of medical ethics and history of medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.376
H-Index - 14
ISSN - 2008-0387
DOI - 10.18502/jmehm.v14i18.8178
Subject(s) - phone , covid-19 , qualitative research , nursing , health care , medicine , meaning (existential) , scale (ratio) , telephone interview , psychology , family medicine , sociology , political science , disease , social science , philosophy , linguistics , physics , pathology , quantum mechanics , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law , psychotherapist
During March and April 2020, the number of hospital admissions and deaths due to the first wave of COVID-19 peaked. The objective of this study was to analyse the experiences of a team of health professionals in charge of breaking bad news over the telephone to the relatives of patients admitted to the respiratory ward of a large hospital in Barcelona.
This was a qualitative research based on semi-structured individual interviews with all the members of the team and a group interview. The interviews were analysed using Condensation of Meaning techniques.
Three central themes emerged after analysing the interviews: (1) the call itself, (2) the need for good organisational support both before and during a crisis, and (3) the care that the professionals themselves need.
To set up a large-scale operation to break bad news over the phone, some organisational aspects must be considered that go beyond the call itself. All these aspects are interrelated to a large extent, and due attention should be given to proper communication and adequate care practices for both relatives and health workers.