ArticleJournal of pain and symptom management2020
Dying From COVID-19: Loneliness, End-of-Life Discussions, and Support for Patients and Their Families in Nursing Homes and Hospitals. A National Register Study.
Article in Journal of pain and symptom management, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 60 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
60 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 135 citations in OpenAlex.
- Global perspectives on challenges, coping strategies, and future preparedness of nursing home staff during COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-synthesis.BMC health services research · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Non-pharmacological measures implemented in the setting of long-term care facilities to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections and their consequences: a rapid review.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- The COVID-19 experience and the necropolitical space of end-of-life care in residential care facilities in Quebec: A case study.Palliative care and social practice · 2026Article
- Potential Risk Factors for Lonely Death: A Nationwide Case-Control Study in Korea.Journal of Korean medical science · 2025Article
- Variation in emergency department visits among residents of Swedish nursing homes between 2019 and 2020, a population-based cohort study.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Article
- Terminal Care Performance of Nurses Caring for COVID-19 Patients: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study.Nursing open · 2024Article
- Article
- Clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes for elderly patients in a dedicated Covid-19 ward at a primary health care facility in western Norway: a retrospective observational study.BMC health services research · 2024Observational
- Family Experiences of Loss and Bereavement in Palliative Care Units during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Ethical challenges causing moral distress: nursing home staff's experiences of working during the COVID-19 pandemic.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2024Article
- The palliative care experience in Irish nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey of residents, family, and staff.BMC palliative care · 2024Article
- Associations between the spread of COVID-19 and end-of-life circumstances in the non-infected population of Sweden.Scandinavian journal of public health · 2024Observational
- Hospice and Palliative Care during Disasters: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- SARS-CoV-2 entry into and evolution within a skilled nursing facility.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Moral Breakdowns and Ethical Dilemmas of Perioperative Nurses during COVID-19: COREQ-Compliant Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Symptom Management and Support in Dying Patients with Cancer and Coronavirus Disease-19-A Register-Based Study.Journal of palliative care · 2023Article
- The impact of COVID-19 on the experiences of patients and their family caregivers with medical assistance in dying in hospital.BMC palliative care · 2023Article
- Understanding advance care planning in care homes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: A critical realist review and synthesis.Palliative medicine · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
contextPreparation for an impending death through end-of-life (EOL) discussions and human presence when a person is dying is important for both patients and families.
objectivesThe aim was to study whether EOL discussions were offered and to what degree patients were alone at time of death when dying from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), comparing deaths in nursing homes and hospitals.
methodsThe national Swedish Register of Palliative Care was used. All expected deaths from COVID-19 in nursing homes and hospitals were compared with, and contrasted to, deaths in a reference population (deaths in 2019).
resultsA total of 1346 expected COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes (n = 908) and hospitals (n = 438) were analyzed. Those who died were of a more advanced age in nursing homes (mean 86.4 years) and of a lower age in hospitals (mean 80.7 years) (P < 0.0001). Fewer EOL discussions with patients were held compared with deaths in 2019 (74% vs. 79%, P < 0.001), and dying with someone present was much more uncommon (59% vs. 83%, P < 0.0001). In comparisons between nursing homes and hospital deaths, more patients dying in nursing homes were women (56% vs. 37%, P < 0.0001), and significantly fewer had a retained ability to express their will during the last week of life (54% vs. 89%, P < 0.0001). Relatives were present at time of death in only 13% and 24% of the cases in nursing homes and hospitals, respectively (P < 0.001). The corresponding figures for staff were 52% and 38% (P < 0.0001).
conclusionDying from COVID-19 negatively affects the possibility of holding an EOL discussion and the chances of dying with someone present. This has considerable social and existential consequences for both patients and families.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.