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. 2021 Jun 2;25(1):191.
doi: 10.1186/s13054-021-03608-3.

Why and how to open intensive care units to family visits during the pandemic

Giovanni Mistraletti  1   2 , Alberto Giannini  3 , Giuseppe Gristina  4 , Paolo Malacarne  5 , Davide Mazzon  6 , Elisabetta Cerutti  7 , Alessandro Galazzi  8 , Ilaria Giubbilo  9 , Marco Vergano  10 , Vladimiro Zagrebelsky  11 , Luigi Riccioni  12 , Giacomo Grasselli  13   14 , Silvia Scelsi  15 , Maurizio Cecconi  16   17 , Flavia Petrini  18
Affiliations

Why and how to open intensive care units to family visits during the pandemic

Giovanni Mistraletti et al. Crit Care. .

Abstract

Since the lockdown because of the pandemic, family members have been prohibited from visiting their loved ones in hospital. While it is clearly complicated to implement protocols for the admission of family members, we believe precise strategic goals are essential and operational guidance is needed on how to achieve them. Even during the pandemic, we consider it a priority to share strategies adapted to every local setting to allow family members to enter intensive care units and all the other hospital wards.

Keywords: Communicable diseases; Family health; Health communication; Information dissemination; Intensive care units; Pandemics; Professional/family relations; Social isolation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The physical presence of families into the ICU brings significant advantages for critically ill patients, for their families, and for the healthcare team
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Mistraletti G, Mezzetti A, Anania S, Ionescu Maddalena A, Del Negro S, Giusti GD, Gili A, Iacobone E, Pulitano SM, Conti G, et al. Improving communication toward ICU families to facilitate understanding and reduce stress. Protocol for a multicenter randomized and controlled Italian study. Contemp Clin Trials. 2019;86:105847. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2019.105847. - DOI - PubMed
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    1. Comitato Nazionale per la Bioetica - Terapia intensiva "aperta" alle visite dei familiari. http://bioetica.governo.it/it/pareri/pareri-e-risposte/terapiaintensiva-.... Accessed 25 May 2021.

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