Visitation policies at palliative care units and stationary hospices during COVID-19 pandemic: a literature review
, 2, 2, 3
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the ability of relatives and friends to accompany patients. Medical facilities have taken measures to limit or prohibit direct contact in proportion to the epidemic risk while respecting the integral healthcare component of relatives’ participation in the therapeutic process. New challenges have also arisen in specialized palliative care units, where the family plays a key role in providing support and comfort to patients with advanced illness, especially at the end of life. This review aims to explore visitation policies in palliative care settings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Patients and methods: PubMed, SCOPUS and Web of Science (WoS) were reviewed using iteratively selected keywords (visiting policy AND palliative care AND COVID-19) to identify visiting policies in specialist palliative care settings.
Results: The presence of relatives and their direct participation in inpatient palliative care have been significantly reduced or completely excluded. Several units have established specific visiting policies designed to prevent patients, staff and visiting relatives from acquiring the infection. The rules included obligatory personal protective equipment, limiting the duration of visits and the number of permitted guests, as well as allowing only visitors that had been vaccinated against COVID-19. To mitigate the harm caused by the restrictions, new means of remote contact such as video calls through teleconferencing platforms have been introduced or expanded.
Conclusions: Delving into solutions facilitating contact between relatives and patients, implemented in inpatient palliative care units during the COVID-19 pandemic may serve to identify and establish model solutions for managing similar scenarios in the future.
Keywords: visitation policypalliative carehospice careCOVID-19family visitsvisitation restrictions
References
- Eftekhar Ardebili M, Naserbakht M, Bernstein C, et al. Healthcare providers experience of working during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study. Am J Infect Control. 2021; 49(5): 547–554.
- Bahls M, Gaber MH, Jorstad HT, et al. Impact of COVID-19 on young healthcare professionals. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2022; 29(9): e293–e294.
- Iness AN, Abaricia JO, Sawadogo W, et al. The effect of hospital visitor policies on patients, their visitors, and health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review. Am J Med. 2022; 135(10): 1158–1167.e3.
- Rubinelli S, Myers K, Rosenbaum M, et al. Implications of the current COVID-19 pandemic for communication in healthcare. Patient Educ Couns. 2020; 103(6): 1067–1069.
- Vujadinovic N. Communication and public relations in healthcare. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2020; 274: 42–51.
- Visiting public hospitals during COVID-19 | SA Health [Internet]. https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/conditions/infectious+diseases/covid-19/response/visiting+public+hospitals+during+covid-19/visiting+public+hospitals (21.04.2023).
- Visitor Policies Due to COVID-19 | UCSF Health [Internet]. https://www.ucsfhealth.org/covid/visitor-policies-due-to-covid-19 (21.04.2023).
- Saarinen J, Mishina K, Soikkeli-Jalonen A, et al. Family members' participation in palliative inpatient care: An integrative review. Scand J Caring Sci. 2021 [Epub ahead of print].
- Aparicio M, Centeno C, Carrasco JM, et al. What are families most grateful for after receiving palliative care? Content analysis of written documents received: a chance to improve the quality of care. BMC Palliat Care. 2017; 16(1): 47.
- Enguidanos S, Housen P, Penido M, et al. Family members' perceptions of inpatient palliative care consult services: a qualitative study. Palliat Med. 2014; 28(1): 42–48.
- Williams BR, Bailey FA, Woodby LL, et al. "A room full of chairs around his bed": being present at the death of a loved one in Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. Omega (Westport). 2012; 66(3): 231–263.
- Granda-Cameron C, Houldin A. Concept analysis of good death in terminally ill patients. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2012; 29(8): 632–639.
- Costantini M, Sleeman KE, Peruselli C, et al. Response and role of palliative care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A national telephone survey of hospices in Italy. Palliat Med. 2020; 34(7): 889–895.
- Weaver MS, Rosenberg AR, Fry A, et al. Impact of the coronavirus pandemic on pediatric palliative care team structures, services, and care delivery. J Palliat Med. 2021; 24(8): 1213–1220.
- Hanna JR, Rapa E, Dalton LJ, et al. Health and social care professionals' experiences of providing end of life care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study. Palliat Med. 2021; 35(7): 1249–1257.
- Ölcer S, Idris M, Yilmaz-Aslan Y, et al. “We are taking every precaution to do our part…”: a comparative analysis of nursing, palliative and hospice care facilities' websites during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Health Serv Res. 2021; 21(1): 579.
- Powell VD, Silveira MJ. Palliative care for older adults with multimorbidity in the time of COVID 19. J Aging Soc Policy. 2021; 33(4-5): 500–508.
- Wei E, Segall J, Villanueva Y, et al. Coping with trauma, celebrating life: reinventing patient and staff support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Aff (Millwood). 2020; 39(9): 1597–1600.
- Lau J, Knudsen J, Jackson H, et al. Staying connected in the COVID-19 pandemic: telehealth at the largest safety-net system in the united states. Health Aff (Millwood). 2020; 39(8): 1437–1442.
- Lebiedziński F, Pawłowski L, Jastrzębska J, et al. Website information on visiting policies at specialist in-patient palliative care settings during COVID-19 pandemic across Central and Eastern Europe: a quantitative and qualitative study. Palliat Med Pract. 2022; 16(4): 227–232.
- Leppert W, Pawłowski L. New challenges in palliative care in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic. Palliat Med Pract. 2020; 14(2).
- Goossensen A. Hospice and palliative care volunteering in the Netherlands. Practices of being there. Palliat Med Pract. 2019; 12(4): 193–197.
- Walshe C, Pawłowski L, Shedel S, et al. Understanding the role and deployment of volunteers within specialist palliative care services and organisations as they have adjusted to the COVID-19 pandemic: A multi-national EAPC volunteer taskforce survey. Palliat Med. 2023; 37(2): 203–214.
- Pawłowski L, Leppert W. Volunteering in palliative care during COVID-19 pandemic. Palliat Med Pract. 2021; 15(1): 5–6.
