COVID crisis prompts calls for integration of palliative and critical care

With COVID-19 increasing patients’ pain and morbidity and exacerbating high levels of clinician burnout and moral distress, integrating palliative and critical care “has never been more crucial,” according to the authors of an article in December’s Critical Care Nurse. Such integration greatly increases palliative care’s benefits for patients, families and health care providers, they argue. Their paper offers resources and strategies to support critical care nurses in this endeavor. (Newswise news release, 11/18/20)