Long Term Care Staff Experience of Death Anxiety During Viral Outbreaks.

Abstract

Care Workers Grief and Stressors Experienced During Viral Outbreaks: A Rapid Review Care workers caring for older people within long term care establishments during the COVID-19 pandemic have been presented with a unique set of circumstances. This included but has not been limited to: the closure of institutions to visitors, including reduced or restricted visits from other health care professionals, and residents’ relatives; insufficient access to personal protective equipment (PPE); increased hygiene protocols; and in Spring 2020 in the UK, increased admissions of new and existing residents being discharged from hospital. To inform ongoing discussions on how to best support CWs in these settings, we conducted a rapid review on the potential impacts of viral outbreaks on care home staff. Topics included changes to work practices, stressors, staff emotional responses, the impact of grief, and ethical dilemmas. The results from this review can inform ways in which to better support care home staff during the current COVID-19 pandemic and future viral outbreaks