COVID-19: Palliative Care: Erkenntnisse aus der Corona-Pandemie

According to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), during the corona pandemic, Switzerland recorded an excess mortality rate of 1,520 people from the beginning of March to the end of April. In Ticino, almost twice as many people died during this period as would normally be expected during this period. In the Lake Geneva region (cantons of Geneva, Vaud and Valais) the number of deaths was 40 percent higher than usual during this period. According to the FOPH figures, around half of these people did not die in hospital, but in nursing homes or at home. Palliative care plays an important role in accompanying and treating people at the end of life. Palliative care specialists were involved in the treatment and support of Covid-19 patients in the hospitals, nursing homes and outpatient areas. The experiences of specialists in palliative care and of affected institutions are now to be collected in order to derive knowledge with regard to a possible second wave of the pandemic.