The resources listed below are supplementary to those already provided on the Ministry of Health website. You will also find valuable information for everyday work on the health and safety page of this hub. It includes information including how to keep your home bubble safe when returning from work, intubation checklists and video clips. You will find links below in the following sections:
- Clinical guidelines and resources
- Communication: Telehealth resources and breaking bad news in a virtual environment
- Health care providers
- Human factors and re-designing work solutions for COVID-19
- Resources for engaging with consumers
Clinical guidelines and resources
Bringing together all COVID-19 research, reviews, commentary, news, and analysis from across the Lancet family of journals as it is published. The resource aims to assist health workers, policy makers, and researchers to bring the COVID-19 pandemic to a close. All of our COVID-19 content is free to access: https://www.thelancet.com/coronavirus
A guide for intensive care unit (ICU) nurses on ventilator emergency care of COVID-19 patients. It includes a quick reference bedside guide for nursing in ICU: https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/report/Bedside_guide_ventilator_emergency_care_for_COVID-19_patients/14408729/1/files/27544751.pdf
Hospice New Zealand has a number of key New Zealand palliative care resources on their COVID-19 for health professionals page.
General information about palliative care for COVID-19 patients:
- Introduction and an approach to palliative management in a pandemic
- End-of-life nursing considerations – COVID-19 patients
- Symptom control for people with COVID-19.
Palliative care information for aged residential care:
Currently in Aotearoa district health boards are implementing Shared Goals of Care (SGOC), a move away from the historic binary not for resuscitation, to discussing and deciding on goals of care that reflects the patients and whānau values and beliefs. This UK report 'Protect, respect, connect –
decisions about living and dying well during COVID-19' demonstrates why a SGOC approach is important: https://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/20210318_dnacpr_printer-version.pdf
This information is supplementary to the MOH guidance for vaccinators. It provides 10 human factor based principles to support systems thinking for vaccination programmes that apply across settings. These human factors ergonomic principles relate to the identification and description of work systems (Identify), the improvement of work systems and processes (Improve), and the continuous learning from experience to achieve sustainable change. An infographic explaining the factors is also available.
During COVID-19, people with cognitive impairment may find hospital even more frightening than usual. In recognition of this changed environment, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has developed a poster and factsheet to support health service organisations to provide safe care for people with cognitive impairment during COVID-19: https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/cognitive-impairment/cognitive-impairment-and-covid-19
Created by Parents of Vision Impaired (PVINZ), this webpage has an audio description of hand washing advice for blind people as well as a video about how to explain the importance of hand washing to children: https://pvi.org.nz/covid-19-hand-washing-advice-audio-and-video-including-descriptions-captions/
A group of obstetric experts created this video to demonstrate good practice in obsetric emergencies involving COVID-19 positive patients: https://www.thisinstitute.cam.ac.uk/research-articles/covid-19-managing-an-obstetric-emergency/
The COVID-19 pandemic is an opportune time to offer smoking cessation services, to encourage and support quitting tobacco use. Researchers have highlighted the association between tobacco smoking and adverse COVID-19 disease outcomes, and the need for smokers to quit: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(20)30236-X/fulltext?dgcid=raven_jbs_etoc_email
This review sought to understand how patients were infected with COVID-19 on acute hospital wards. It provides guidance on how to prevent transmission of COVID-19 to patients admitted and treated in acute hospitals who are COVID-19 negative on admission: https://www.hsib.org.uk/investigations-and-reports/covid-19-transmission-in-hospitals-management-of-the-risk/
This website contains general information for health professionals in New Zealand regarding medicines and COVID-19. The information is compiled by a multidisciplinary team including pharmacists, pharmacologists and infectious diseases experts: http://www.medicinesinformation.co.nz/2020/03/20/medicines-and-covid-19/
This short video simulates how to move an unconscious patient from suprine to prone and back. In the clinical environment staff are encouraged to be 'be bare below the elbow' to promote adequate hand hygiene. You can also watch the video on YouTube.
A clear and thought-provoking article for all health care managers and clinical leaders to consider about COVID-19 era diagnostic errors and how to reduce their occurrence. It includes preparing for potential future COVID-19 waves: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7289509/
This short video, courtesy of Capital and Coast DHB, simulates how to work in a team nursing model when staffing may be less than ideal due to acuity. Team nursing models are useful in many areas of nursing and could be implemented in other care situations. You can also view the video on YouTube.
This website provides key information for clinical staff wearing PPE th to reduce the risk of PI. NOTE fit testing for N95/P2 respirators must undertaken with any protective skin dressing in situ if used: https://www.nzwcs.org.nz/covid-19-resources
COVID-19 resource centre (The Lancet) (2022)
Bringing together all COVID-19 research, reviews, commentary, news, and analysis from across the Lancet family of journals as it is published. The resource aims to assist health workers, policy makers, and researchers to bring the COVID-19 pandemic to a close. All of our COVID-19 content is free to access: https://www.thelancet.com/coronavirus
Bedside guide: ventilator emergency care for COVID-19 patients (Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors) (2021)
A guide for intensive care unit (ICU) nurses on ventilator emergency care of COVID-19 patients. It includes a quick reference bedside guide for nursing in ICU: https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/report/Bedside_guide_ventilator_emergency_care_for_COVID-19_patients/14408729/1/files/27544751.pdf
New Zealand palliative care guidelines (Hospice New Zealand) (2021)
Hospice New Zealand has a number of key New Zealand palliative care resources on their COVID-19 for health professionals page.
General information about palliative care for COVID-19 patients:
- Introduction and an approach to palliative management in a pandemic
- End-of-life nursing considerations – COVID-19 patients
- Symptom control for people with COVID-19.
Palliative care information for aged residential care:
- A guideline for accessing resources and training for managing syringe drivers for aged residential care, primary health and community settings
- Managing palliative care needs in aged residential care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Protect, respect, connect – decisions about living and dying well during COVID-19 (Care Quality Commission) (2021)
Currently in Aotearoa district health boards are implementing Shared Goals of Care (SGOC), a move away from the historic binary not for resuscitation, to discussing and deciding on goals of care that reflects the patients and whānau values and beliefs. This UK report 'Protect, respect, connect –
decisions about living and dying well during COVID-19' demonstrates why a SGOC approach is important: https://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/20210318_dnacpr_printer-version.pdf
Vaccinating a nation: Ten human factors and ergonomics principles (Charted Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors) (2021)
This information is supplementary to the MOH guidance for vaccinators. It provides 10 human factor based principles to support systems thinking for vaccination programmes that apply across settings. These human factors ergonomic principles relate to the identification and description of work systems (Identify), the improvement of work systems and processes (Improve), and the continuous learning from experience to achieve sustainable change. An infographic explaining the factors is also available.
Cognitive impairment and COVID-19 (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care) (2020)
During COVID-19, people with cognitive impairment may find hospital even more frightening than usual. In recognition of this changed environment, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has developed a poster and factsheet to support health service organisations to provide safe care for people with cognitive impairment during COVID-19: https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/cognitive-impairment/cognitive-impairment-and-covid-19
COVID-19 hand washing advice (Parents of Vision Impaired NZ Inc) (2020)
Created by Parents of Vision Impaired (PVINZ), this webpage has an audio description of hand washing advice for blind people as well as a video about how to explain the importance of hand washing to children: https://pvi.org.nz/covid-19-hand-washing-advice-audio-and-video-including-descriptions-captions/
COVID-19: managing an obstetric emergency (THIS.Institute) (2020)
A group of obstetric experts created this video to demonstrate good practice in obsetric emergencies involving COVID-19 positive patients: https://www.thisinstitute.cam.ac.uk/research-articles/covid-19-managing-an-obstetric-emergency/
COVID-19 pandemic: an opportunity for tobacco use cessation (The Lancet) (2020)
The COVID-19 pandemic is an opportune time to offer smoking cessation services, to encourage and support quitting tobacco use. Researchers have highlighted the association between tobacco smoking and adverse COVID-19 disease outcomes, and the need for smokers to quit: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(20)30236-X/fulltext?dgcid=raven_jbs_etoc_email
COVID-19 transmission in hospitals: management of the risk – a prospective safety investigation (Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch) (2020)
This review sought to understand how patients were infected with COVID-19 on acute hospital wards. It provides guidance on how to prevent transmission of COVID-19 to patients admitted and treated in acute hospitals who are COVID-19 negative on admission: https://www.hsib.org.uk/investigations-and-reports/covid-19-transmission-in-hospitals-management-of-the-risk/
Medicines and COVID-19 (Christchurch Medicines Information Service) (2020)
This website contains general information for health professionals in New Zealand regarding medicines and COVID-19. The information is compiled by a multidisciplinary team including pharmacists, pharmacologists and infectious diseases experts: http://www.medicinesinformation.co.nz/2020/03/20/medicines-and-covid-19/
Proning patients in Wellington ICU (Capital & Coast DHB) (2020)
This short video simulates how to move an unconscious patient from suprine to prone and back. In the clinical environment staff are encouraged to be 'be bare below the elbow' to promote adequate hand hygiene. You can also watch the video on YouTube.
Reducing the risk of diagnostic error in the COVID-19 era (Journal of Hospital Medicine) (2020)
A clear and thought-provoking article for all health care managers and clinical leaders to consider about COVID-19 era diagnostic errors and how to reduce their occurrence. It includes preparing for potential future COVID-19 waves: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7289509/
Wellington ICU-focused care and team nursing management model (Capital & Coast DHB) (2020)
This short video, courtesy of Capital and Coast DHB, simulates how to work in a team nursing model when staffing may be less than ideal due to acuity. Team nursing models are useful in many areas of nursing and could be implemented in other care situations. You can also view the video on YouTube.
Wound care society COVID-19 webpage preventing PI while wearing PPE (New Zealand Wound Care Society)
This website provides key information for clinical staff wearing PPE th to reduce the risk of PI. NOTE fit testing for N95/P2 respirators must undertaken with any protective skin dressing in situ if used: https://www.nzwcs.org.nz/covid-19-resources
Communication: Telehealth resources and breaking bad news in a virtual environment
The NZ Telehealth Forum and Resource Centre is an initiative from the Ministry of Health. The website has guidance and resources for people who want to set up, improve or use a telehealth service within New Zealand: https://www.telehealth.org.nz/
These webinars from the New Zealand Telehealth Forum & Research Centre are aimed at supporting providers who are implementing telehealth services such as phone or video consultations, to achieve safe, secure and sustainable telehealth solutions which complement their existing in-person relationships: https://www.telehealth.org.nz/webinars/
This journal article and accompanying videos talk about the resources developed by the Academy of Communication in Healthcare to support clinicians with navigating the sudden increase in telehealth consultations during COVID-19. There is a journal article and two videos with tips about good communication in telehealth.
It is never easy to tell whānau that a loved one has died, but it is particularly difficult over the phone. This short video will help you prepare for this. It includes guidance on how you can support the person you are telling to share with children and grandchildren. You can also watch the video on YouTube.
This handy visual guide to breaking bad news and having difficult conversations with relatives via telephone during the COVID-19 outbreak was developed by Dr Antonia Field-Smith and Dr Louise Robinson from the Palliative Care Team at West Middlesex Hospital, NHS Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Foundation Trust: https://www.bgs.org.uk/resources/covid-19-tools-and-templates#&gid=1&pid=1
RapidCheckTM (546KB, pdf) from the Cognitive Institute is a simple five step briefing and debriefing tool leaders can use to ensure staff are aware, understand and are coping with the rapid changes around them.
This webpage was developed by the Commission to support clinicians to have conversations and plan care that is person-centred in the face of COVID-19. It includes conversation guides, training and documentation resources to help you to preparing to talk to your patients and their whānau, talk to them, document what you learn from the conversation and to use this information to inform care.
This on-demand webinar series focuses on insights and techniques to sustain physical and mental wellbeing and team performance through COVID-19 and beyond. It is suitable for clinicians and clinical leaders. The webinars share practical evidence-based strategies including RapidCheck™, a new operational team briefing and debriefing tool leaders can use to maintain maximum performance and ensure staff are aware, understand and are coping with the rapid changes around them. Watch the series in your own time and share with your colleagues: https://www.cognitiveinstitute.org/webinars/
New Zealand Telehealth Forum & Research Centre (Ministry of Health) (2022)
The NZ Telehealth Forum and Resour