CO-LIVE: impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on death and mourning 

• 2020 – 2023 
• Status: completed 

The coronavirus crisis had a major impact on healthcare, particularly end-of-life care. It was difficult to say goodbye to loved ones properly. This situation was also complicated for healthcare providers. That is why, even during the crisis, researchers mapped out how people experienced this situation and what lessons we can learn from it for the future. The aim of this research was to find a balance between safe care and the needs of dying patients and their families. 

Description 

Survivors and healthcare providers were asked about their experiences with end-of-life care for someone who died during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was done through online questionnaires and interviews.  

Aim of the study: 

• to understand what survivors and healthcare providers consider to be high-quality end-of-life care during the COVID-19 pandemic; 
• to understand what hinders and facilitates the grieving process for family members during the COVID-19 pandemic; 
• to identify complicated grief in bereaved relatives and long-term problems and burnout in healthcare providers at an early stage. 

The results have been translated into practice in the form of guidelines for high-quality and safe end-of-life care. 

Researchers

• Project leader: Dr Ida Korfage (Erasmus MC). 
• The project group included researchers from Erasmus MC, Amsterdam UMC and Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. 
• Prof. Anne Goossensen was involved on behalf of the University of Humanistic Studies . 

Partners

Erasmus MC, Amsterdam UMC, LUMC, UMC Utrecht, UMC Groningen, Maastricht UMC, Radboud UMC and Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences collaborate through the PALZON Foundation.  

(Co-)funding 

ZonMW, COVID-19 Programme

Results 

Article in Dutch, 10 findings from the first wave: 10 bevindingen vanuit de eerste golf (pdf, via palzon.nl)
from 1,100 questionnaires and 40 interviews with healthcare providers and relatives 

Public booklet Achter een masker van verdriet, de verhalen achter de cijfers (in Dutch; “Behind a mask of grief, the stories behind the figures”, via Amsterdam UMC) 

Also see

• Project page at ZonMW

Contact

Prof. dr. Anne Goossensen, A.Goossensen@UvH.nl.