Reflections on First Wave COVID-19 Practice: Insights from Family–Patient Liaisons

ABSTRACT

This article reflects the experiences of a Family–Patient Liaison (FPL) team affiliated with a Field Hospital during the first wave of COVID-19 in South Africa. The reflection draws on our first 6-week experience providing telephonic support to low-income families resident in Gauteng. As FPLs, we formed part of an integrated healthcare programme and complimented the clinical treatment by providing ongoing support and advice to patients’ families, in their language of choice. We use retrospective autoethnography to share our cumulative experience, lessons learnt and skills gained while immersed in this programme. We reflect on the social environment, internal family dynamics, and the healthcare context as sources of patient vulnerability and emphasise the importance of communication-centred healthcare. Lastly, we suggest FPL provides unique benefits to the COVID-19 response and public healthcare

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• psychosocial
• family liaison
• integrated medicine
• community

Acknowledgements

We sincerely acknowledge our colleagues at the field hospital for their guidance, trust and for providing us the opportunity to participate in COVID-19 care. We thank the families for trusting us with your care. You have enriched our lives, improved our practice and scholarship, for which we are sincerely grateful. Lastly, we thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable and insightful critique and recommendations.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).