Palliative accompaniment

Biomedical and social resignification of dying during the Covid-19 pandemic

Datos Bibliográficos

ID15082011
AutoresJana Mercadal-Sánchez (0000-0001-6742-413X, Open University of Catalonia (UOC), Barcelona, Spain, autor de correspondencia), Emilio Ferrer-Romero (0000-0001-5902-7732, Department of Nursing and Occupational Therapy, the Autonomous University of Barcelona (EUIT-UAB), Barcelona, Spain), Ignacio Fradejas-García (0000-0002-2514-0654, University of Iceland)
Año2022
Volumen27
Número4
Páginas443-458
Fecha de publicación2022-10-02
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaMortality (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1357-6275 • E-ISSN: 1469-9885
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13576275.2022.2107797
OpenAlexW4295163402
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas35

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented changes in the accompaniment of the sick, the dead, and their loved ones. This article analyses the intertwined accompaniment practices performed by health professionals working in hospitals and nursing homes and by the relatives of those who died or striving during the first few months of the pandemic in Barcelona, Spain. We argue that isolation, fear of contagion, and lack of biomedical professionals and infrastructures, produced a resignification of palliative care, social support and grief practices. Moving beyond the Western biomedical professionalization and the institutionalization of dying processes to give more agency to the dying and their loved ones, we apply the term palliative accompaniment to disentangle healthcare and psychosocial support practices adapted to the extreme circumstances of COVID-19, which includes old and new practices to alleviate patients’ suffering, relieve their loved ones’ anguish and support health professionals. Following the stories of our respondents, the interruption of the face-to-face visits and dying and mourning rituals was eased by the appearance of innovative healthcare practices, communication, and ritualization. However, this necessary evil was not enough to cope with the feelings of abandonment that emerged in response to dying alone and postponing mourning

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Disease · Outbreak · Pandemic · Pathology · Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 · Family and Patient Care in Intensive Care Units · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Medicine · Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues · Virology