The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered healthcare communication, making clear and compassionate conversations between patients and clinicians more critical than ever. For individuals at high risk of severe illness, effective communication is paramount to ensuring they receive the best possible care aligned with their values and preferences.
Recognizing this urgent need, the Serious Illness Care Program at Ariadne Labs developed the COVID-19 Response Toolkit. This comprehensive toolkit is designed to empower patients to engage in crucial conversations with their loved ones and healthcare providers. Furthermore, it equips health systems and clinicians with vital resources to address the communication challenges faced by both hospitalized patients and those in the community. The rapid development process of this toolkit is detailed in The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.
For deeper insights into supporting effective patient-provider communication amidst the COVID-19 crisis, refer to the publication on the Health Affairs Blog.
The COVID-19 CARES Program toolkit offers tailored resources for various settings, accessible through the links below:
Patient Resources
Preparing for COVID-19: A Patient Guide
Ariadne Labs, in collaboration with The Conversation Project and with the support of Cambia Health Foundation, presents Being Prepared in the Time of COVID-19, a patient-centric guide. This resource helps individuals proactively prepare for the challenges of the pandemic, ensuring their wishes are known and respected.
Enhanced Digital Access: In partnership with Cake, an online, user-friendly version of this guide is now available. Complete the form online to create a downloadable PDF of your prepared responses, ready to share with family and healthcare proxies.
Inpatient Resources
Inpatient COVID-19 Conversation Guide
The COVID-19 Conversation Guide for Inpatient Care is specifically designed to assist clinicians in communicating with hospitalized patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. This tool focuses on understanding patient priorities and aligning care with their values during their hospital stay.
Outpatient Resources
Outpatient COVID-19 Conversation Guide
For outpatient settings, the COVID-19 Conversation Guide for Outpatient Care facilitates compassionate dialogues between clinicians and high-risk patients. This guide helps patients understand how to protect themselves and allows clinicians to learn what matters most to each patient within the context of the ongoing pandemic.
Telehealth Communication Tips for Clinicians
Recognizing the increased reliance on virtual care, the Telehealth Communication Tips resource offers practical advice for clinicians. These tips are designed to enhance serious illness conversations conducted via telecommunication, addressing the unique challenges of virtual interactions.
Recommendation Aid for Patient Care
The Recommendation Aid provides a structured approach for clinicians to formulate comprehensive care recommendations. This tool is particularly useful after conversations with patients who have pre-existing conditions that increase their risk of severe COVID-19 complications.
Care Planning Resources for Patients
To ensure patients receive holistic support, the Care Planning Resources guide helps clinicians connect patients with essential support services. This customizable resource directory facilitates access to necessary community and healthcare services.
COVID-19 Patient Outreach Letter Template
The COVID-19 Letter to Patients is an outreach template designed to encourage community members to proactively consider their care preferences should they become seriously ill with COVID-19. This letter promotes advanced care planning within the general population.
Long-Term Care Resources
Long-Term Care COVID-19 Conversation Guide
For healthcare professionals working in long-term care facilities, the COVID-19 Conversation Guide for Long-Term Care is an invaluable tool. It assists in facilitating conversations about values and care preferences with residents and their caregivers, aiming to maintain the highest quality of care in these settings.
Translations
To ensure accessibility for diverse populations, several key resources from the COVID-19 CARES Program are available in multiple languages: French (CA), Spanish, Portuguese (BR), Cape Verdean Creole, Haitian-Creole, and Vietnamese. These translations include the Outpatient and Inpatient Conversation Guides, and the Patient Outreach Letter. Download the translated resources below:
French (CA) Translations
Spanish Translations
Portuguese (BR) Translations
Cape Verdean Creole Translations
Cape Verdean Creole Translations
Haitian-Creole Translations
Vietnamese Translations
Crisis Resources
Crisis Standards COVID-19 Conversation Guide
In anticipation of potential healthcare system strain, the COVID-19 Conversation Guide for Crisis Standards provides critical guidance. This tool offers language to support clinicians in communicating with patients during crisis standards of care, when resources are overwhelmed. It addresses the difficult conversations that may arise when critical care resources are limited, with the sincere hope that it will not be necessary to use it.
Webinar Recordings
Serious Illness Care Program’s COVID-19 Response Toolkit Overview
For a comprehensive introduction to the toolkit, access the Overview of the Serious Illness Care Program’s COVID-19 Response Toolkit webinar.
Download the overview slides for detailed information.
These guides are designed to be adapted to suit local contexts. For editable versions, please contact [email protected].
