LAUSR

BACKGROUND COVID-19 has led to challenges in providing effective and timely communication in healthcare. Services have been required to adapt and evolve as successful communication remains core to high quality patient-centred care. AIM This study aims to describe the communication between admitted patients, their families and clinicians (medical, nursing, allied health) during end-of-life care. METHODS This retrospective review included all patients (n = 230) who died directly due to COVID-19 at five Melbourne hospitals between 1 January and 31 December 2020. Contacts and modality used (face to face, video, telephone) during the 8 days prior to death were recorded. RESULTS Patients were predominantly elderly (median age 86 years) and from residential aged care facilities (62% (n = 141)). Communication frequency increased the closer the patient was to death, where on day of death, contact between clinicians and patients was 93% (n = 213) clinicians and families 97%(n = 222) and between patients and families 50% (n = 115). Most contact between patients and families was facilitated by a clinician (91.3% (n = 105) day of death) with the most commonly used mode being video call (n = 30 day of death). CONCLUSION This study is one of the first and largest Australian reports on how communication occurs at the end of life for patients dying of COVID-19. Contact rates were relatively low between patients and families, compared to other cohorts dying from non COVID-19 related causes. The impact of this difference on bereavement outcomes requires surveillance and attention. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.