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International Journal of College of Palliative Medicine of Sri Lanka
Review
DOI: 10.54448/jcpmsl23106
Submitted: 07-08-2023
Published: 23-08-2023

Reflections on palliative conundrums related to COVID-19 care in a resource-limited setting: a narrative review

MBBS, Registrar in Medicine, National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka
MBBS, Registrar in Surgery, National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Covid End-of-life care palliative care

Abstract

The third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka resulted in a rapid rise in incidence and mortality, and overburdened the resources of the free health care sector. This narrative written by a junior doctor who worked at a COVID-19  high dependency unit in Sri Lanka, brings to light the unique palliative care and humanities dilemmas that occur when rising demands of health care surpass the resources of the system. The article will discuss issues of palliation, end-of-life care and family-centred issues in critically ill patients with prolonged hospital stays. It will also discuss the impact of a pandemic on the mental health of front-liners offering both critical and palliative care, which in turn inevitably affects all aforementioned entities. The author suggests strategies to reduce the consequences of these dilemmas on patient care, through improvement of institutional availability of essential health resources based on correct identification of need, equal distribution of frontline work and accessible institution-based services to prevent burnout among health care workers.

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References

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How to Cite

Vidanapathirana, M. N., & Gomez, D. M. (2023). Reflections on palliative conundrums related to COVID-19 care in a resource-limited setting: a narrative review. International Journal of College of Palliative Medicine of Sri Lanka, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.54448/jcpmsl23106