The UVic-UCC Chair in Palliative Care produces a directory of COVID-19 resources

The Chair in Palliative Care at the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) and the Catalan Oncology Institute (ICO) has produced a directory containing important documentation and resources on the COVID-19 pandemic. These materials have been produced to the highest scientific standards, and are designed for dissemination among the research community, healthcare professionals and the general public. The directory has been prepared in partnership with the ICO "Qualy" Observatory and the "La Caixa" Foundation.

"In crisis situations like the one we are experiencing, having reliable technical information that provides guidance in professional work and facilitates public awareness is essential for making better decisions and reducing uncertainty," says Xavier Gómez Batiste. The directory is organised in thematic areas or categories, such as residential homes, telephone care, monitoring symptoms, palliative care, the final days, grief, ethical recommendations, support for the public and support for home care services among other areas, includes descriptors to facilitate searches, and it is updated on a regular basis. The document is open and public, and is available for consultation via this link.

Psychological support for healthcare professionals

The ICO/UVic-UCC Chair in Palliative Care and the ICO Qualy Observatory have also been actively involved in setting up a call centre providing psychological support for healthcare professionals, which has recently been launched in response to the COVID-19 emergency situation. The telephone care service is an initiative by the "la Caixa" Foundation, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, and is run by the Galatea Foundation. Experts from the Chair and the Qualy Observatory are responsible for the scientific management of the design and launch. 

The psychological care service is free of charge, available all over Spain and has the capacity to handle a thousand calls a day from 9 am to 10 pm, seven days a week, by both telephone and by video conference and by online follow-up. The care is provided via the 900 670 777 telephone hotline, and all the information about this service is available in this section on the "la Caixa" Foundation website. 

"The service aims to help relieve the emotional overload among professionals caring for patients with coronavirus, and who are giving their all in the front line of care when fighting against the disease," says Gómez Batiste. The director of the Chair explains that "the team of psychologists that will be at their disposal will aim as much as possible to make the work they are doing more bearable, in a situation as delicate as the current one."

These two initiatives join the consensus document of recommendations for ethical and clinical decision-making in residential homes in the context of COVID-19, which the ICO/UVic-UCC Chair in Palliative Care and the Bioethics Chair - Grífols Foundation announced last week.  The document compiles and describes the measures to be taken in order to provide high quality care for people who need it and their families, while also providing guidelines for professionals to follow. The series of recommendations was produced with the involvement of a wide range of experts, and with the support and approval of various leading institutions in the sector.