Visitation Restrictions Research Articles

The Effectiveness of Implementing Family-Centered Rounds in the PICU on Parental Satisfaction

Family-Centered Care (FCC) is needed in nursing care for children with critical illnesses in the PICU, but the implementation of FCC has yet to be effective. This is due to family visit restrictions, direct care involvement, and decision-making. Family- Centered Rounds (FCR) are a multidisciplinary professional approach to decision-making by facilitating family involvement in medical decision-making. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of implementing FCR in the PICU on patients' parents' satisfaction. This study used a quantitative experimental design in which Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) design with a post-test-only control group was used. Sixty-four parents of patients in the PICU unit at RSCM were recruited by consecutive sampling and randomly assigned to two treatments (room standard intervention for the control group and FCR for the intervention group). Treatment in both groups was carried out for two days then the satisfaction level of parent respondents was measured using the Pediatric Family Satisfaction in intensive care Unit 24 (pFS-ICU 24). Bivariate analysis used an independent t-test to analyze differences in family satisfaction scores in both groups. Statistically, there was a significant difference in the mean score of patient family satisfaction between groups with FCR and no FCR with p=0.001 (p<0.05). It was concluded that FCR was effectively carried out, which impacted increasing the satisfaction of the patient's parents. FCR is very effectively implemented in the PICU unit as a development of the application of the FCC concept, which can benefit the patient's family.

Using telepresence robots as a tool for virtual research during the COVID‐19 pandemic

AbstractBackgroundLong‐term care (LTC) settings have been disproportionately affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic. It is necessary to investigate unmet needs and explore practical strategies for supporting LTC residents and staff. However, visitation restrictions and staff shortages have created barriers to conducting research in healthcare settings. Innovative methods and tools are needed for conducting research to support the research process. Telepresence robots enable virtual connections via videoconferencing and give a feeling of the person’s presence from a remote location. This study focuses on exploring the researchers’ experiences of using a telepresence robot as an interview tool.MethodWe interviewed a team of 10 researchers who used a telepresence robot to virtually conduct research during the COVID‐19 pandemic in British Columbia, Canada. The team includes academic researchers, graduate students and people living with dementia. Semi‐structured one‐to‐one interviews were conducted by Zoom virtual meetings. Thematic analysis was performed to identify themes.ResultAnalysis of the data produced five themes on benefits and challenges with respect to using a telepresence robot to conduct interviews with residents in LTC. Themes of benefits: (1) Use as a Research Enabler, (2) More accessible and engaged research process, and (3) Increased Environmental Inclusion and Engagement. Themes of challenges: (4) Lack of Infrastructure and Resources, and (5) Training and Technical Obstacles. Based on the results, we offer “ROBOT” – an acronym created for actionable recommendations that inspire and support others to use telepresence robots for research. These recommendations include Realign to adapt, Organize with champions, Blend strategies, Offer timely technical assistance, and Tailor training to individual needs.ConclusionThis study offers unique and practical insights into using telepresence robots as a safe and innovative tool for conducting research remotely. Our results demonstrate that people living with dementia can be engaged meaningfully in research during the pandemic. Future research should apply more creativity and flexibility in adopting technology to expand possibilities for involving people with dementia in research.

Postnatal quietness - the dilemma of visiting hours. A qualitative interview study with maternity care staff

BackgroundAs part of the Person and Family Centred Care, involvement of relatives is a key concept. This means that an unrestricted visiting policy in hospitals wards is widely accepted and implemented. In maternity care, benefits and drawbacks of unrestricted visiting is still discussed, while it is acknowledged that a quiet environment is important for both new parents and newborns to enhance breastfeeding. The COVID-19 lockdown provided an opportunity to study how the restrictions for visitors influenced the work of maternity care staff in Denmark. ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the experience of maternity care staff on how visitation restrictions for visitors influenced the care of new families in a maternity ward. MethodsIndividual interviews (n = 10) were performed between 20 November 2020 and 25 February 2021. A qualitative descriptive study was performed using thematic analysis. ResultsOne overarching theme was identified: “Framing time to the experience of becoming a parent”. Further, five sub-themes were identified and illuminated in the analysis: “Increasing confidentiality and presence”, “Changing availability and space for guidance”, “Welcoming peacefulness”, “Being gatekeepers”, and “Structuring time is caring”. ConclusionRestrictions for visitors influenced the care of new families because it encourages the space and place of becoming a parent. The hospital environment was shaped in a calm way, which increased the staffs’ bedside time. The experience of an increased confidentiality with new parents led to in-depth conversations, making it easier to identify new parents’ needs, focus on the initiation of breastfeeding, and individual guidance.

Relationship between parental stress and post-traumatic stress disorder: The moderating effect of visitation restrictions in paediatric intensive care units during COVID-19.

Visitation restrictions due to COVID-19 kept parents from being with their children who were hospitalized in the PICU and from meeting with professional staff. This study examined the moderating effect of COVID-19-induced visitation restrictions on the relationship between stress and post-traumatic stress disorder in parents of children admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit. We conducted a descriptive, exploratory study involving 93 parents of children hospitalized in the paediatric intensive care unit using the Korean version of the Parental Stressor Scale: Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and the Revised Impact of Events Scale. Descriptive, Pearson's correlation, and logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the data. Self-reported survey questionnaires were provided for parents to complete in a separate area of the outpatient clinic when they visited for follow-up care after their children were discharged from the paediatric intensive care unit. Mothers showed significantly higher post-traumatic stress disorder scores than fathers. The relationship between all the sub-domains of perceived stress and post-traumatic stress disorder was statistically significant. Visitation restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic had significant moderating effects on the relationship between perceived parental stress and post-traumatic stress disorder. Moreover, the moderating effects of COVID-19 were exhibited when the two sub-domains-hyperarousal and intrusion-were investigated. Paediatric intensive care unit visitation may be an important intervention for parental post-traumatic stress disorder. Parental visitation should be enabled, and alternative interventions should be developed in situations where visitation is prohibited. It is necessary to develop and apply various and effective alternatives visitation that can prepare hospitals for visiting restrictions during pandemic situations which could emerge in the future.

The association between infant salivary cortisol and parental presence in the neonatal intensive care unit during and after COVID-19 visitation restrictions: A cross-sectional study

ObjectivesParent-infant interaction in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) promotes health and reduces infant stress. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, NICUs restricted parent-infant interaction to reduce viral transmission. This study examined the potential relationship between pandemic visitation restrictions, parental presence and infant stress as measured by salivary cortisol. MethodsA two-NICU cross-sectional study of infants with gestational age (GA) 23–41 weeks, both during (n = 34) and after (n = 38) visitation restrictions. We analysed parental presence with and without visitation restrictions. The relationship between infant salivary cortisol and self-reported parental NICU presence in hours per day was analysed using Pearson's r. A linear regression analysis included potential confounders, including GA and proxies for infant morbidity. The unstandardised B coefficient described the expected change in log-transformed salivary cortisol per unit change in each predictor variable. ResultsIncluded infants had a mean (standard deviation) GA of 31(5) weeks. Both maternal and paternal NICU presence was lower with versus without visitation restrictions (both p ≤0.05).Log-transformed infant salivary cortisol correlated negatively with hours of parental presence (r = −0.40, p = .01). In the linear regression, GA (B = -0.03, p = .02) and central venous lines (B = 0.23, p = .04) contributed to the variance in salivary cortisol in addition to parental presence (B = -0.04 p = .04). ConclusionCOVID-19–related visitation restrictions reduced NICU parent-infant interaction and may have increased infant stress. Low GA and central venous lines were associated with higher salivary cortisol. The interaction between immaturity, morbidity and parental presence was not within the scope of this study and merits further investigation.

A Cross-Sectional Assessment of Parental Concerns in the Pediatric Surgery Department during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted various aspects of healthcare, including pediatric surgery. This study aimed to assess parental concerns and stress levels in pediatric surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic, identify factors associated with increased parental anxiety or concern, and provide recommendations for healthcare providers. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary pediatric hospital in Timisoara, Romania, involving 174 parents of pediatric patients requiring elective or emergency surgery, with a mean age of 37.6 (25-47) years, out of which 89.1% of respondents were women. Parental concerns were assessed using the Parental Concerns Questionnaire (PCQ), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Parents of children undergoing emergency surgery (n = 108) reported higher levels on the practical impact domain of the PCQ scale (3.4 vs. 2.2, p < 0.001), emotional impact (2.7 vs. 2.2, p = 0.002), and total PCQ score (9.5 vs. 7.7, p < 0.001) compared to parents of children undergoing elective surgery (n = 66). Parents in the emergent surgery group also reported higher anxiety scores on the HADS questionnaire (7.9 vs. 6.5, p = 0.009) and higher perceived stress and total score on the PSS-10 survey (7.8 vs. 5.6, p = 0.046) (10.5 vs. 9.1, p = 0.047), respectively. A significantly higher proportion of parents in the emergent surgery group were concerned about restricted visitation policies (p = 0.013) and reported delaying or considering delaying their child's surgery due to the pandemic (p = 0.036). The results demonstrate heightened concerns, anxiety, and stress among parents of children undergoing emergency surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare providers should address parental concerns, provide clear communication, and ensure adequate support for families. Recommendations include enhancing information about COVID-19 precautions, reassuring parents about personal protective equipment availability, and facilitating family support within visitation restrictions.

Ethical challenges faced by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review protocol.

The aim of this scoping review is to describe the literature reporting on ethical challenges faced by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the contextual characteristics of ethical challenges, and strategies to address reported challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic presented many ethical challenges to nurses, ranging from allocating scarce resources, to balancing a duty of care with self-preservation and implementing visitation restrictions. Internationally, there has been a range of reported issues, but few studies describe strategies to overcome these challenges. Studies that report on ethical challenges faced by nurses while caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic will be included. Studies that report on strategies to address these challenges will also be considered for inclusion. This scoping review will be conducted in accordance with methods outlined by JBI and reported on using PRISMA-ScR guidance. The following databases will be searched for eligible studies from November 2019 to present day: PubMed, CINAHL, Ovid, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, and Scopus. No language restrictions will be applied. Studies will be reviewed for inclusion by 2 independent reviewers and a data extraction form developed specifically for this review will be used to extract data relevant to the review questions. Results will be analyzed and presented according to the concepts of interest, using tables, figures, images, and supporting narrative synthesis.

A socioecological qualitative analysis of barriers to care in colorectal surgery

BackgroundAlthough specific social determinants of health have been associated with disparities in surgical outcomes, there exists a gap in knowledge regarding the mechanisms of these associations. Gaining perspectives from multiple socioecological levels can help elucidate these mechanisms. Our study aims to identify social determinants of health that act as barriers or facilitators to surgical care among colorectal surgery stakeholders. MethodsWe recruited participants representing 5 socioecological levels: patients (individual); caregivers/surgeons (interpersonal); and leaders in hospitals (organizational), communities (community), and government (policy). Patients participated in focus groups, and the remaining participants underwent individual interviews. Semistructured interview guides were used to explore barriers and facilitators to surgical care at each socioecological level. Transcripts were analyzed by 3 coders in an inductive thematic approach with content analyses. The intercoder agreement was 93%. ResultsSix patient focus groups (total n = 18) and 12 key stakeholder interviews were conducted. The mean age of patients was 54.7 years, 66% were Black, and 61% were female. The most common diseases were colorectal cancer (28%), inflammatory bowel disease (28%), and diverticulitis (22%). Key social determinants of health impacting surgical care emerged at each level: individual (clear communication, mental stress), interpersonal (provider communication and trust, COVID-related visitation restrictions), organizational (multiple forms of contact, quality educational materials, scheduling systems, discrimination), community (community and family support and transportation), and policy (charity care, patient advocacy organizations, insurance coverage). ConclusionKey social determinants of health-impacting care among colorectal surgery patients emerged at each socioecological level and may provide targets for interventions to reduce surgical disparities.

Parental Perceptions of the Impact of NICU Visitation Policies and Restrictions Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted parents' ability to participate in their infants' care during the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay in unprecedented ways. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of parents whose infants was in the NICU during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative telephone interview survey was conducted. Participants included parents of preterm infants who were born less than 34 weeks' gestation during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020-August 2020). Telephone surveys were conducted through open-ended questions. A thematic content analysis identifying themes was performed after interviews were completed and transcribed. A total of 8 mothers completed the telephone survey. Key themes from this study include parents experiencing increased stress due to the restricted visitation policies, limited opportunities to care for their infant, lack of support, and inconsistent communication regarding their infant status and COVID-19 protocols. Suggestions provided to enhance NICU services during the pandemic include increasing parental engagement opportunities to care for their infant in the NICU, enhanced empathy and compassion from the neonatal team, and open and transparent communication. Further research investigating cultural impact on parents' perspectives, perspectives of fathers, long-term impact of how parents coped after discharge from the NICU, and emotional impact on NICU staff members may be beneficial to aid improvements in NICU service delivery during the ongoing and future pandemic.

Developing and Evaluating a Novel Educational Intensive Care Unit Wall Map

Developing and Evaluating a Novel Educational Intensive Care Unit Wall Map

Using telepresence robots as a tool to engage patient and family partners in dementia research during COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative participatory study

BackgroundLong-term care (LTC) settings have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; it is important to address unmet needs and explore practical strategies for supporting LTC residents and staff. The involvement of patient partners and family community members in research planning, implementation and evaluation is the basis of Patient and Public Involvement approach and has been challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic, as visitation restrictions have created barriers to conducting research in healthcare settings. Innovative methods and tools are needed for conducting participatory research. This study investigated the use of telepresence as innovative tools for participatory research based on three projects conducted with patient and family partners during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThe data source includes (a) team reflective discussions, (b) weekly meeting notes, (c) field notes, and (d) interviews with ten researchers. We applied purposive sampling to select ten researchers who used a telepresence robot to conduct research in British Columbia, Canada. Semi-structured one-to-one interviews were conducted via Zoom virtual meetings. Patient and family partners contributed to team analysis to identify themes.ResultsAnalysis of the data produced five themes: (1) Research Enabler, (2) User-Friendly Technology, (3) Increased Engagement, (4) Lack of Infrastructure and Resources, and (5) Training and Technical Obstacles. Based on the results, we propose “ROBOT”—an acronym for five actionable recommendations to support the use of telepresence robots for research. The ROBOT recommendations represent: Realign to adapt, Organize with champions, Blend strategies, Offer timely technical assistance, and Tailor training to individual needs.ConclusionsThis study offers practical insights into the use of telepresence robots as a safe and innovative tool for conducting remote research with people with dementia, even in times of restricted access, as with COVID-19. Future research should apply more creativity and flexibility in adopting technology to expand possibilities for involving people with dementia in research.

Strongman - At Home.

A neurologist reflects on the unintended heartlessness of keeping a patient with terminal cancer in hospital for further tests at a time when families are not permitted to visit. Peripherally involved in a patient's care, he witnesses the suffering brought about by pandemic-related visitation restrictions in the final weeks of a patient's life. In reviewing the course of events with the patient's widow, the physician has many of his assumptions overturned and more completely grasps the consequences of visitation restrictions on hospitalized patients.

Providing more effective kangaroo care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A quality improvement project in a Lebanese neonatal intensive care unit

AbstractBackgroundKangaroo care has become the standard in caring for preterm infants; however, its application still faces many barriers due to insufficient staff or parental education or participation and most recently visitation restrictions after the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThis quality improvement project (QIP) took place in a tertiary center’s neonatal intensive care unit in Lebanon from September 2018 to March 2021. It aimed to increase kangaroo care practice and maternal milk use among admitted infants. Nurses and parents received education and hands-on training about kangaroo care and skin-to-skin contact. Nurses’ and parents’ knowledge, attitude, and behavior toward kangaroo care were evaluated pre- and post-intervention. Balancing measures included hypothermia, central line infection, catheter dislodgement, and babies being dropped. COVID-19 visitation restrictions during QIP cycles were documented.ResultsA total of 143 infants received kangaroo care during the project period and 105 (73%) were ≤34 weeks of gestation. By the end of the QIP, kangaroo care practice increased from 2.5 to 7 h per infant stay (from a median of 45 min per session to 60 min per session). Infants receiving more than five kangaroo care sessions had higher maternal milk use (71.3% vs. 52.8%; P = 0.002) and growth velocity (12.1 vs. 2.0 g/kg/day; P &amp;lt; 0.001). Parents’ perceived behavior and frequency of performing kangaroo care–related tasks improved significantly (P &amp;lt; 0.005) compared to before QIP. Thirty-seven of 44 participating nurses reported more perceived behavior transferring ventilated babies (P = 0.049).ConclusionThis QIP successfully increased kangaroo care practice and maternal milk use in a resource-limited environment, despite COVID-19 restrictions. More work is needed to ensure sustainability and replicability.

P-100 Delirium in patients with acute cerebrovascular disease during visitation restrictions due to COVID-19 pandemic: A stroke-unit perspective

P-100 Delirium in patients with acute cerebrovascular disease during visitation restrictions due to COVID-19 pandemic: A stroke-unit perspective

Experiences of a Nursing Team Working in a Residential Care Facility for Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Experiences of staff working in residential long-term care facilities (LTCFs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are likely to differ from that of staff working in acute hospitals. The aim of the current study was to describe the experiences of the nursing team supporting frail older adults with high medical and care needs living in a LTCF. Using a descriptive qualitative design, data were gathered via one-to-one semi-structured interviews and thematically analyzed. Four themes emerged: Providing Care During COVID-19, Impact of COVID-19 on Staff, Organizational Management of COVID-19, and Training and Education. Visitation restrictions and staff shortages impacted all aspects of work life. Staff reported increased stress and exhaustion with COVID-19 infection resulting in long-term health issues. It is important to learn from these experiences to inform and empower staff to manage future outbreaks of infectious diseases. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 49(3), 40-46.].

Early Guided Palliative Care Communication for Patients With COVID-19 Receiving ECMO.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) combined with COVID-19 presents challenges (eg, isolation, anticipatory grief) for patients and families. To (1) describe characteristics and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 receiving ECMO, (2) develop a practice improvement strategy to implement early, semistructured palliative care communication in ECMO acknowledgment meetings with patients' families, and (3) examine family members' experiences as recorded in clinicians' notes during these meetings. Descriptive observation of guided, in-depth meetings with families of patients with COVID-19 receiving ECMO, as gathered from the electronic medical record of a large urban academic medical center. Most meetings were held within 3 days of initiation of ECMO. Forty-three patients received ECMO between March and October 2020. The mean patient age was 44 years; 63% of patients were Hispanic/Latino, 19% were Black, and 7% were White. Documentation of the ECMO acknowledgment meeting was completed for 60% of patients. Fifty-six percent of patients survived to hospital discharge. Family discussions revealed 7 common themes: hope, reliance on faith, multiple family members with COVID-19, helping children adjust to a new normal, visitation restrictions, gratitude for clinicians and care, and end-of-life discussions. Early and ongoing provision of palliative care is feasible and useful for highlighting a range of experiences related to COVID-19. Palliative care is also useful for educating patients and families on the benefits and limitations of ECMO therapy.

Use of Digital Technologies to Maintain Older Adults' Social Ties During Visitation Restrictions in Long-Term Care Facilities: Scoping Review.

Digital technologies were implemented to address the disruption of long-term care facility residents' socialization needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. A literature review regarding this topic is needed to inform public policy, facility managers, family caregivers, and nurses and allied health professionals involved in mediating the use of digital devices for residents' social ties. Our study outlines key concepts, methodologies, results, issues, and gaps in articles published during pandemic-related visitation restrictions. Following the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) protocol, a scoping review was conducted by searching 3 database aggregator platforms (EBSCO, ProQuest, and PubMed) for studies published in peer-reviewed journals from early 2020 to the end of June 2021, when the most stringent restrictions were in place. We included qualitative and quantitative studies, reviews, commentaries, viewpoints, and letters to the editors in French or English focusing on digital technologies aiming to support the social contact of residents in long-term care facilities during pandemic-related visitation restrictions. Among 763 screened articles, 29 met our selection criteria. For each study, we characterized the (1) authors, title, and date of the publication; (2) country of the first author; (3) research fields; (4) article type; and (5) type of technology mentioned. The analysis distinguished 3 main themes emerging from the literature: (1) impact and expectations of remote social contact on the physical and mental health and well-being of the residents (n=12), (2) with whom or what the social contact took place (n=17), and (3) limitations and barriers to significant social contact related to digital technologies (n=14). The results first underlined the highly positive impact expected by the authors of the digital technologies on health and quality of life of residents of long-term care facilities. Second, they highlighted the plurality of ties to consider, since social contact takes place not only with family caregivers to maintain contact but also for other purposes (end-of-life videoconferences) and with other types of contact (eg, with staff and robots). Third, they exposed the limitations and barriers to significant contact using digital technologies and outlined the required conditions to enable them. The review demonstrated the opportunities and risks outlined by the literature about the implementation of digital technologies to support remote social contact. It showed the plurality of ties to consider and revealed the need to evaluate the positive impact of remote contact from the residents' perspectives. Therefore, to go beyond the risk of digital solutionism, there is a need for studies considering the holistic impact on health regarding the implementation of digital technologies, including the meaning residents give to interpersonal exchanges and the organizational constraints. OSF Registries osf.io/yhpx3; https://osf.io/yhpx3.

"Loved ones are not 'visitors' in a patient's life"-The importance of including loved ones in the patient's hospital stay: An international Twitter study of #HospitalsTalkToLovedOnes in times of COVID-19.

Hospitals are institutions whose primary task is to treat patients. Family-centered care, which considers loved ones as equal partners in patient care, has been gaining recognition in the adult care setting. Our aim was to record experiences of and opinions on communication between hospital-based healthcare providers and patients' loved ones, related but not limited to the rigorous mitigation measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Twitter profile @HospitalsTalkTo and hashtag #HospitalsTalkToLovedOnes were created to interact with the Twitter public between 7 June 2021 and 7 February 2022. Conversations surrounding #HospitalsTalkToLovedOnes were extracted and subjected to natural language processing analysis using term frequency and Markov chain analysis. Qualitative thematic analysis was performed on the 10% most interacted tweets and of tweets mentioning "COVID" from a personal experience-based subset. We collected 4412 unique tweets made or interacted by 7040 Twitter users from 142 different countries. The most frequent words were patient, hospital, care, family, loved and communication. Thematic analysis revealed the importance of communication between patients, patients' loved ones and hospitals; showed that patients and their loved ones need support during a patient's hospital journey; and that pediatric care should be the gold standard for adult care. Visitation restrictions due to COVID-19 are just one barrier to communication, others are a lack of phone signal, no space or time for asking questions, and a complex medical system. We formulate 3 recommendations to improve the inclusion of loved ones into the patient's hospital stay. "Loved ones are not 'visitors' in a patient's life". Irrespective of COVID-19, patient's loved ones need to be included during the patient's hospital journey. Transparent communication and patient empowerment increase patient safety and improve the hospital experience for both the patients and their loved ones. Our findings underline the need for the concept of family-centered care to finally be implemented in adult nursing clinical practice.

Clinician perceptions of the impact of ICU family visiting restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic: an international investigation

PurposeTo guarantee the safety of the public, clinicians and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital visits were severely restricted internationally. There are limited data on the precise impact of these visiting restrictions on Intensive Care Unit clinicians. Our objectives therefore were to explore the impact of family visitation restrictions on clinicians and care delivery and describe innovation alongside areas for potential improvement.MethodsA qualitative approach using focus groups was employed. We recruited members of the multi-disciplinary team from Spain, France and the UK. Framework analysis was used to synthesize and interpret data.ResultsIn total, 28 staff from multiple international sites contributed to data across six focus groups: 12 from the UK, 9 from France and 7 from Spain. In relation to the key aims, we derived four themes: the emergence of new technologies, relationships and rapport establishment, communication challenges and end-of-life care provision. Across each theme, the overarching concepts of clinician emotional exhaustion and emotional distress emerged alongside the negative impact on job satisfaction.ConclusionThe impact of COVID-19 family visitation restrictions is far reaching. Future research should examine the wider impact of family presence in the ICU.

Analyzing the Effects of Family Presence and Visitation Restrictions During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Nurse Leaders and Non-Nurse Leaders.

This analysis seeks to identify the effect of family presence and visitation during COVID-19 pandemic among nurses and nurse leaders. Visitation restrictions were widespread during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic and were a potential source of distress for nurses. Few studies have examined sources of distress, such as visitation restrictions, among nurse leaders and non-nurse leaders. Secondary analysis was performed using a national survey of nurses conducted by the American Nurses Foundation. More nurse leaders than nonleaders reported that nurses were involved in policy decisions/discussions and that visitation restrictions created additional burdens. There was similar level of agreement among nurse leaders and nonleaders that restrictions were not in the best interest of the patients. Many nurses reported the restrictions impacted their own well-being. Visitation restrictions were a likely source of distress. Improvements to communication, planning, and transparency should be considered in preparation for future emergencies that may require visitation restrictions.