Department of Health Informatics, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health, Kyoto, Japan
Department of Health Informatics, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health, Kyoto, Japan.
BMJ Open Qual. 2024 Jan 30;13(1):e002548. doi: 10.1136/bmjoq-2023-002548.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous issues regarding end-of-life care for COVID-19 patients have been discussed. Among these issues, challenges related to the use of body bags following the death of COVID-19 patients have been suggested. This study aimed to identify the challenges faced by healthcare professionals (HCPs) when using body bags after the death of patients infected with COVID-19 in medical settings.
We conducted a qualitative descriptive study with semistructured in-depth interviews using inductive thematic analysis. From August to December 2021, we interviewed nurses and doctors who provided end-of-life care to COVID-19 patients focusing on their experiences with the use of body bags for the deceased.
Of the 25 interviewees who mentioned body bag use, 14 were nurses (56%) and 13 were women (52%). The mean interview length was 52.0 min (SD 9.6 min). Challenges associated with body bag use were classified into four themes with eight categories: preserving the dignity of the deceased, consideration for the bereaved saying a final goodbye to a loved one in a body bag, the physical and emotional impact on HCPs, and diverse opinions on body bag use.
Our findings include ethical concerns about the dignity of the deceased, empathy for the grief of bereaved families, and the emotional and physical distress experienced by HCPs struggling with the recommendation to use body bags based on limited evidence. The diverse perspectives of HCPs in this study highlight potential issues that developers should consider when formulating more appropriate and acceptable guidelines/guidance and policies.
在 COVID-19 大流行期间，人们对 COVID-19 患者的临终关怀问题进行了大量讨论。其中，有人提出 COVID-19 患者去世后使用尸袋方面存在挑战。本研究旨在确定医疗环境中 COVID-19 患者去世后，医护人员（HCPs）在使用尸袋时面临的挑战。
我们进行了一项定性描述研究，采用半结构式深入访谈和归纳主题分析。2021 年 8 月至 12 月，我们对为 COVID-19 患者提供临终关怀的护士和医生进行了访谈，重点关注他们在使用尸袋方面的经验。
在提到使用尸袋的 25 名受访者中，有 14 名是护士（56%），有 13 名是女性（52%）。平均访谈时间为 52.0 分钟（SD 9.6 分钟）。与尸袋使用相关的挑战分为四个主题，包括八个类别：保护死者尊严、考虑到死者家属希望在尸袋中与亲人最后告别、对 HCPs 身心的影响，以及对尸袋使用的不同看法。
我们的研究结果包括对死者尊严的伦理关注、对死者家属悲痛的同情，以及 HCPs 在根据有限证据建议使用尸袋时所经历的情绪和身体困扰。本研究中 HCPs 的不同观点突出了开发者在制定更合适和可接受的指南/指导和政策时应考虑的潜在问题。
