Supportive and Palliative Care Unit, Monash Health, Clayton, Vic., Australia.
School of Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Vic., Australia.
Australas J Ageing. 2022 Mar;41(1):147-152. doi: 10.1111/ajag.13013. Epub 2021 Nov 10.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has challenged healthcare, aged care and palliative care provision in ways previously unimaginable. In Australia, this has been felt particularly amongst our most vulnerable members of society, those residing in residential aged care. Currently representing the majority (75%) of COVID-19 deaths and health-care worker infections, this vulnerable sector has borne the greatest impact. A collaborative response comprising a tertiary hospital palliative care outreach service, residential InReach geriatric service and a community palliative care service effectively delivered comprehensive and timely specialist care to residents infected with COVID-19. Daily videoconferencing rounds were efficient, minimised infection risk and facilitated family members attending virtually during patient assessments and care planning discussions. This model was both reactive and proactive and importantly scalable should further infective outbreaks occur in Australasian residential aged care facilities.
全球 COVID-19 大流行以前所未有的方式挑战了医疗保健、老年护理和姑息治疗的提供。在澳大利亚，这在我们社会中最脆弱的成员中感受尤为明显，这些成员居住在养老院中。目前，他们占 COVID-19 死亡人数和医护人员感染人数的大多数（75%），这个脆弱的群体受到了最大的影响。由一家三级医院姑息治疗外展服务、院内 InReach 老年服务和社区姑息治疗服务组成的协作应对措施，有效地为感染 COVID-19 的居民提供了全面和及时的专科护理。每天的视频会议效率很高，将感染风险降到最低，并使家属在患者评估和护理计划讨论期间能够进行虚拟参与。这种模式是反应性和前瞻性的，并且在澳大利亚老年护理机构发生进一步感染爆发时具有重要的可扩展性。
