Family caregivers' responses to a visitation restriction policy at a Korean surgical intensive care unit before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
Jiwoo Suh, Sungwon Na, Seungho Jung and 4 others
PMID 36058109WHAT IT FOUND
Family caregivers of ICU patients reported worse sadness and anxiety during pandemic visitation restrictions, but quality of life and depressive symptoms did not differ.
Most accepted the restrictions, yet only about half felt informed about the patient.
Key findings
01Caregivers surveyed during the pandemic reported worse sadness and anxiety than caregivers surveyed before the pandemic, while quality of life and depressive symptoms did not differ.
0284.8% of caregivers agreed with the visitation restriction, but only 50.5% were satisfied with information about the patient's condition.
03Caregivers most often suggested regular meetings with ICU physicians, alternative contact methods with patients, and detailed orientation on the visitation policy.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done in one 14-bed surgical ICU in one academic hospital in South Korea, so it may not apply to other units. It compared different caregiver groups from 2017 and 2021, not the same people over time, so it cannot show what caused the change. Only 99 caregivers were surveyed during the pandemic, and caregivers who refused or could not take part may have had different views. Patient characteristics differed between periods, including age, hours on mechanical ventilation, ICU length of stay, and sepsis cases, so the visitation policy was not the only difference. The survey used short checklists and a simple emotion scale, so it did not capture the full reasons behind caregiver responses. Some patients had more than one caregiver enrolled, and the analysis did not fully account for this.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that banning visits caused worse anxiety and sadness. The study compared different caregiver groups from 2017 and 2021, and patient factors also differed, so it cannot separate the policy from other changes.