Objectives
To examine conditions and strategies to meet the challenges imposed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related visiting restrictions in Scandinavian intensive care units (ICUs).
Research Methodology/Design
A cross-sectional survey
Setting
Adult ICUs in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Main Outcome Measures
Likert scale responses and free-text comments within six areas: ICU capacity and staffing, visiting policies and access to the ICU, information and conferences with relatives, written information, children as relatives and follow-up initiatives.
Results
The overall response rate was 53% (74/140 participating ICUs). All ICUs had planned for capacity extensions; the majority ranging between 11 and 30 extra beds. From March–June 2020, ICUs had a mean maximum of 9.4 COVID-19 patients simultaneously. Allowing restricted visiting was more common in Denmark (52%) and Norway (61%) than in Sweden where ICU visiting was mostly denied except for dying patients (68%), due to a particular increased number of COVID-19 patients. The restrictions forced nurses to compromise on their usual standards of family care. Numerous models for maintaining contact between relatives and patients were described.
Conclusion
Visitation restrictions compromised the quality of family care and entailed dilemmas for healthcare professionals but also spurred initiatives to developing new ways of providing family care.
FCs of ICU patients experience multiple symptoms, among which, psychological symptoms are most occurring. Age, relationship to the patient, and comorbidities were significantly associated with the number of symptoms reported by FCs. Comprehensive symptom assessment may identify FCs who are at risk of developing a high symptom burden when the patient is admitted to the ICU.
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