ArticleBMJ open2022
Sacrifice and solidarity: a qualitative study of family experiences of death and bereavement in critical care settings during the pandemic.
Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04602520 (Dying During the Pandemic), which is not on this map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Dying During the Pandemic: Preserving Compassionate End-of-Life Care
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of restricted family presence during the COVID-19 pandemic on critically ill patients, families, and critical care clinicians: a qualitative systematic review.BMC health services research · 2024Pooled it
- Symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, and Stress among Families of Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19: A Longitudinal Clinical Trial.Annals of the American Thoracic Society · 2023Trial
- Article
- Resource allocation decisions faced by health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic in a community intensive care unit in Ontario, Canada: a qualitative study.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2026Article
- Support needs, support use and perceived helpfulness of support in a cohort of people bereaved during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from a longitudinal survey.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Perspectives of Advance Care Planning for Latinos During COVID-19.The American journal of hospice & palliative care · 2025Article
- Unravelling the complexities: a scoping review of the collateral effects on bereaved relatives during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC palliative care · 2025Article
- Loss and Grief Among Bereaved Family Members During COVID-19 in Brazil: A Grounded Theory Analysis.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Family Experiences of Loss and Bereavement in Palliative Care Units during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- "I couldn't": A phenomenological exploration of ethical tensions experienced by bereaved family members during the pandemic.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2023Article
- Challenges in Care for Non-COVID-19 Patients with Severe Chronic Illnesses during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Healthcare Providers Working around Acute Care Hospitals in South Korea.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Enhancing end of life care on general internal medical wards: the 3 Wishes Project.BMC palliative care · 2023Article
- Article
- Palliative care practice and moral distress during COVID-19 pandemic (PEOpLE-C19 study): a national, cross-sectional study in intensive care units in the Czech Republic.Critical care (London, England) · 2022Observational
- The Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic on the Needs of Non-Infected Patients and Their Families in Palliative Care-Interviews with Those Concerned.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
- "Three Sides to Every Story": Living the Patient, Carer and Staff Experience of COVID.Global qualitative nursing researchArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPandemic-related restrictions are expected to continue to shape end-of-life care and impact the experiences of dying hospitalised patients and their families.
objectiveTo understand families' experiences of loss and bereavement during and after the death of their loved one amidst the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic.
designQualitative descriptive study.
settingThree acute care units in a Canadian tertiary care hospital.
participantsFamily members of 28 hospitalised patients who died from March-July 2020.
main outcome measuresQualitative semistructured interviews conducted 6-16 months after patient death inquired about family experiences before and beyond the death of their loved one and garnered suggestions to improve end-of-life care.
resultsPandemic restrictions had consequences for families of dying hospitalised patients. Most family members described an attitude of acquiescence, some framing their experience as a sacrifice made for the public good. Families appreciated how clinicians engendered trust in the name of social solidarity while trying to mitigate the negative impact of family separation. However, fears about the patient's experience of isolation and changes to postmortem rituals also created despair and contributed to long-lasting grief.
conclusionProfound loss and enduring grief were described by family members whose final connections to their loved one were constrained by pandemic circumstances. Families observed solidarity among clinical staff and experienced a sense of unity with staff, which alleviated some distress. Their suggestions to improve end-of-life care given pandemic restrictions included frequent, flexible communication, exceptions for family presence when safe, and targeted efforts to connect patients whose isolation is intensified by functional impairment or limited technological access. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04602520; Results.
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