The Palliative Medicine Research Network is an association of 13 university palliative care institutions within the Network University Medicine (NUM) and brings together all palliative care chairs in Germany as well as other palliative care facilities at university hospitals and other cooperation partners. This brings together scientific expertise and local networks in order to analyse different aspects of palliative care in the current pandemic situation and to achieve the project's goal of developing a national strategy in the shortest possible time. This is the only way to get to grips with the complexity of the pandemic situation.
The aim of the project was to develop and agree on a national strategy for the care of seriously ill, dying adults and their relatives in times of pandemic with
- Recommendations for action on general and specialised palliative care for patients with/without infection at micro, meso and macro level,
- Collection and development of information material for the planned online information platform and
- Identification of variables for the scientific recording of palliative care in times of pandemic for the research database planned by the National Research Network University Medicine.
Various aspects of the care of seriously ill and dying people and their relatives in the current pandemic situation were analysed in several work packages. These included the experiences of patients and their relatives, outpatient (palliative) care provided by General Practitioners, other registered doctors, outpatient care services, retirement and nursing homes and integration assistance facilities, as well as hospital care in general and intensive care units. The effects of the pandemic on specialised palliative care in outpatient and inpatient settings were also examined. The activities of crisis teams and public institutions (RKI, BMG, hospitals, local authorities, health authorities, emergency services, Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, medical associations, etc.) were evaluated with a focus on the care of the seriously ill and dying. National and international publications on palliative care in pandemic situations were also included in the recommendations for action.
Relevant information and training materials on palliative care in times of pandemic were collected for the online information platforms created by the sub-project and variables for the scientific recording of palliative care in times of pandemic were made available to the research database planned by the Network University Medicine.