The Experiences of Family Members of Ventilated COVID-19 Patients in the Intensive Care Unit: A Qualitative Study.
Chiahui Chen, Elaine Wittenberg, Suzanne S Sullivan and 2 others
PMID 33789492WHAT IT FOUND
Families of ventilated COVID-19 patients felt isolated and mistrustful because they could not see their loved ones or understand medical updates.
Video calls often increased distress by showing unconscious patients, while inconsistent information from multiple providers fueled anxiety and suspicion about care quality.
Key findings
01Family members relied on television and social media to understand care because they felt uninformed by providers, leading to suspicion when updates conflicted with news reports.
02Video calls were a source of conflict: while families wanted to see their loved ones, seeing them intubated and sedated often caused shock and increased stress rather than comfort.
03Families reported difficulty reaching providers and receiving inconsistent information from different team members, which drove feelings of uncertainty and mistrust.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (n=10), limiting the transferability of the findings. Participants were recruited from a single hospital in the northeastern United States, so the experiences may not reflect other geographic or cultural contexts. Only surrogate decision-makers were interviewed, excluding the perspectives of other family members who may have had different needs or experiences. The study was conducted during the early pandemic (May-August 2020), when visitation restrictions and clinical knowledge were rapidly evolving.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The work was supported by the Shirley D. DeVoe Nursing Research Support Fund at the School of Nursing in University at Buffalo.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that video calls are ineffective or harmful for all isolated patients. The study found that video calls caused distress when families were unprepared for the visual reality of the patient's condition. Proper preparation and choice regarding whether to view the patient can mitigate this negative effect.