Opportunities to improve COVID-19 provider communication resources: A systematic review.

The review included grey literature and peer-reviewed articles of any type, including summaries, editorials, commentaries, and opinion pieces, so many sources are provider arguments rather than tested evidence. It did not measure patient, family, or clinical outcomes, and it did not test whether any communication resource changed care. The search was limited to English-language material from January 1, 2020 to September 1, 2020 and excluded developing countries, so it may miss later or non-US practice. Most included articles described provider experiences, especially physicians, and the review notes little content on nurse needs, family communication, and telehealth. Resource quality was judged by whether patient-centered communication domains were present, not by whether the resource worked. Two reviewers screened the literature, and article extraction was done by one researcher and checked by another, so coding may depend on a small team.

The Archstone Foundation supported the research. The authors reported no competing interests.

Do not read these resources as tested interventions. The review found low patient-centered communication scores and little evidence base, so it reports gaps in available materials, not proven effects on patients or families.