COVID‐19 and difficult conversations in critical units: A practical guide for nurses

A qualitative study on a novel peer collaboration care programme during the first COVID‐19 outbreak: A SWOT analysis

“…Multiple barriers exist such as shortage of PPE, lack of training, failure to update safety protocols, lack of staffing, physical injury from PPE, lack of trust among superiors, beliefs and stereotypes. Investigating the nurses' perspective in applying new ways of organizing care for patients with COVID-19 may identify barriers and facilitators to improve safe care for nurses and patients (Felix et al, 2020;González-Gil et al, 2021).…”

‘I am afraid the news is not good’ – Breaking bad news in the time of COVID: Experiences from a field hospital

“…Breaking bad news is a complex learnt skill, which requires empathy, the use of appropriate body language and tone. 7 In South Africa, there is an added linguo-cultural barrier, which may contribute to miscommunication. Having time to build trust, establish rapport and prepare families, facilitates communicating bad news.…”

“…Several other settings have reported attempts to train HCWs to break news over the phone, including through simulation, but the efficacy of this approach has not been clearly demonstrated. 7 , 8 , 9 …”

What is in this special issue on delirium?

“…This issue also includes two timely critical commentaries related to difficult conversations and end-of-life care in ICUs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Felix et al 27 provide a practical guide for communicating bad news using the SPIKES protocol when caring for COVID-19 patients and their families in ICUs. Although SPIKES was developed for delivering bad news within the oncology context, 28 Felix et al 27 demonstrate how it can be adapted and used in critical care settings.…”

“…Felix et al 27 provide a practical guide for communicating bad news using the SPIKES protocol when caring for COVID-19 patients and their families in ICUs. Although SPIKES was developed for delivering bad news within the oncology context, 28 Felix et al 27 demonstrate how it can be adapted and used in critical care settings. In the second critical commentary, Jeitziner et al 29 acknowledge the challenges in providing end-of-life care for ICU patients and their families during the pandemic.…”