Evidence
Healthcare Improvement Scotland is identifying reliable sources of evidence for NHS Scotland (and other providers of care) during the COVID-19 pandemic. (also available via Guidelines site)
Rapid Evidence Reviews on Covid-19 related Topics
ScotPalCovid is a palliative care research team at Glasgow University which is doing rapid evidence reviews and sharing their work on a blog. Initial topics have included: hospital visiting; anticipatory care planning; T34 syringe pumps. The group can be followed on twitter @ScotPalCovid
Health Improvement Scotland COVID-19 Palliative Care Bulletin
The Knowledge Management Team at Healthcare Improvement Scotland are producing palliative care literature alerts in relation to COVID-19. They are released every Monday. If you would like to sign up to the regular distribution list, please contact HIS on hcis.pallcareguidelines@nhs.net
The latest editions are below for reference:
29 June: covid-19-palliative-care-alert-29-june-2020.pdf
23 June: covid-19-palliative-care-alert-23-june-2020.pdf
Choices for the “New Normal”
This article by Donald M. Berwick in the Journal of the American Medical Association nominates six properties of care for durable change as a result of the pandemic: tempo, standards, working conditions, proximity, preparedness, and equity.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2765699
A "good death" during the pandemic in the UK
This LSE report explores how communities are already adapting to processes of dying, burial, funerals and bereavement during the pandemic, and what consultation processes, policies and communications strategies could be mobilised to support communities through these specific phases.
The Community Perspective on Potentially Inappropriate Treatment
This paper from the Annals of the American Thoracic Society explores the concept of 'futile treatment' and how it is understood by community members.
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) resorurces
SIGN highlight a number of resources as useful for NHSScotland, including an Assessment of COVID in Primary Care which gives more detail on what GPs are supposed to look out for in triaging: the identification of symptoms, signs, characteristics, comorbidities and clinical signs in adults which may indicate a higher risk of progression to severe disease
https://www.sign.ac.uk/assessment-of-covid-19-in-primary-care
COVID-19 and the role of oxygen in palliative care at home
The Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine have published a blog by Dr Lyn Jenkins exploring evidence relating to the benefits of home-delivered oxygen for people with COVID-19.
Deaths in Scottish Care Homes and COVID
The International Long Term Care Policy Network has published Deaths in Scottish care homes and COVID-19.