ANZSPM Guidance - Palliative Care in the COVID-19 Context

The global COVID-19 pandemic seriously impacted not only on our personal lives, but also the work of ANZSPM and the clinical practice of palliative medicine specialists in Australia and New Zealand. 

In March 2020, ANZSPM rapidly established a COVID-19 Special Interest Group to work with Palliative Care Australia and the Australian COVID-19 Palliative Care Working Group (ACPCWG) to meet this new challenge. Initially the COVID-19 SIG met weekly to support the development of guidance documents on palliative care in the COVID-19 context. The aim was to provide high-level guidance to palliative medicine specialists in Australia.

Within a month of forming, and at the end of April 2020, ANZSPM published the first five Australian palliative medicine guidance documents on palliative care in the COVID-19 context including on palliative care communication, pandemic-context palliative care triage and symptom management in COVID-19 patients. A further ten Aotearoa guidance documents were produced by the Collaboration in New Zealand between April and June 2020.

If you would like to know more about the work of this group, contact ANZSPM Secretariat at [email protected] and we will put you in contact with the Group Chair.

Guidance on Palliative Care and COVID-19

Palliative Care in the COVID-19 Context: Preamble

Essential Palliative and End-of-Life Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 and Australian Specialist Palliative Care (Opinion Piece)

Palliative Symptom Management in COVID

Further Symptom Management in COVID: Treatment Approaches and Alternative Routes

Bereavement and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Supply and Access Issues for Medications in COVID-19

Palliative Care Communication in the COVID-19 Context

Pandemic Context Palliative Care Triage - a Response to COVID-19

Peri & Post-death COVID-19 Care at Home 

Visitor Limitations to Hospitals and Palliative Care Units in the COVID-19 Context