Impacto emocional en pacientes y familiares durante la pandemia por COVID-19. Un duelo diferente

Objective: To allow each individual to undergo bereavement in a natural way, to prevent risk factors, and to identify bereaved people who need specific attention Method: A descriptive study Two hundred and eight families were attended to between March 11 and May 20, 2020 for Covid-19 according to an established protocol Results: Average age of the deceased relatives was 76 years Fifty-eight percent were men The family members who were cared for included: Son or daughter (54 %), spouse or partner (20 %), brother or sister (2 %) Regarding the place of death, 41 % were in hospitalization wards, 27 % in the emergency room, 22 % in the palliative care ward, and 10 % in the ICU The method of care was in 53 % of cases over the telephone, in 16 % in person, and in 12 % both over the telephone and in person;in 3 % of cases it was by video call In 63 % of cases, support, specific advice or care was provided, whereas in 37 % support and availability were offered In terms of "final goodbye", 49 % of all family members were able to say goodbye, while 31 % were unable to do so The type of grief observed in the family members attended to was initially considered to be normal for 71 % of cases, whereas 16 % were classified as at risk Discussion: Effective information to and communication with affected relatives;that involved professionals be trained in dealing with death and grief so as not to cause harm, as well as in palliative care;and availability of psychological care are deemed of great importance in a COVID-19 scenario Experience shows that "bereavement care" should be available to the general affected population Proper organization and planning must incorporate action and follow-up protocols that include adequate assessment and care at different levels, from support, prevention and early detection of possible complications of bereavement to specialist intervention when necessary