Rapid evaluation of the COVID-19 pandemic response in palliative and end of life care: national delivery, workforce and symptom management (CovPall)

COVID-19疫情对医疗服务造成前所未有的压力。虽然许多人幸存下来，但估计有1 - 4%的人死于这种疾病。英国有1万多人死于COVID-19，人数还在不断上升。许多症状，如呼吸困难，发烧，激动和疼痛，是非常痛苦的。但在这种新的疾病中，这些症状还没有得到很好的理解。姑息治疗服务正在迅速适应这种情况，但方式不同，不知道什么是最好的。这项研究旨在快速评估COVID-19的姑息治疗反应，以改善现在和未来的护理。有两个主要组成部分，称为工作包（WP）的研究。WP 1调查，英国范围内，姑息治疗医疗或护理领导，关于他们在实践中的变化，他们如何部署劳动力，志愿者和技术，他们的创新和挑战。WP 2收集有关患者症状的数据，它们如何随时间变化以及治疗效果。我们立即快速地收集这些信息（第一阶段），然后在6-8周后重复数据收集（第二阶段），以了解实践如何变化。我们让患者、家庭、公众、政策制定者和服务部门参与研究的各个阶段。我们发布早期调查结果，以帮助促进有效的应对措施。

The COVID-19 pandemic is placing an unprecedented strain on health care services. Although many people survive, an estimated 1 to 4% die from this disease. There are more than 10,000 UK deaths from COVID-19, with numbers escalating. Many of the symptoms, such as breathlessness, fever, agitation and pain, are very distressing. But in this new disease these symptoms are not well understood. Palliative care services are adapting rapidly to this situation, but in different ways, not knowing what is best. This research aims to rapidly evaluate the palliative care response in COVID-19 to improve care now and in the future. There are two main components, called work packages (WPs), to the research. WP1 surveys, UK wide, palliative care medical or nursing leads, about their changes in practice, how they deploy the workforce, volunteers and technology, their innovations and challenges. WP2 collects data about patients' symptoms, how they change over time, and the effects of treatments. We collect this information immediately and quickly (phase I), and then repeat the data collection after 6-8 weeks (phase II) to understand how practice is changing. We involve patients, families, the public, policy makers and services in all stages of the research. We release early findings, to help catalyse an effective response.