Teaching (remotely) to communicate (remotely) with relatives of patients during lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aim: In 2020, due to the pandemic, the lack of specific knowledge on breaking bad news over the phone became apparent. This study aims at assessing the differences, or lack thereof, in satisfaction reported by participants in the different formats of a course in telephone communication for breaking bad news to families of patients, developed based on the previous experience of a team dedicated to this task during the peak of the pandemic.

Methods: Four courses were delivered, two in a fully streamed format and two in a blended format, part pre-recorded, part streamed.

Telephone communication with relatives of hospitalised COVID-19 patients by a specialised family support team: lessons learned.

During March and April 2020, the number of hospital admissions and deaths due to the first wave of COVID-19 peaked. The objective of this study was to analyse the experiences of a team of health professionals in charge of breaking bad news over the telephone to the relatives of patients admitted to the respiratory ward of a large hospital in Barcelona. This was a qualitative research based on semi-structured individual interviews with all the members of the team and a group interview.