Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Visiting Policies: A Worldwide Survey

Anna Camporesi; Anna Zanin; Constantinos Kanaris; Marco Gemma; Vanessa Soares Lanziotti

doi:10.1055/s-0041-1739263

Journal of Pediatric Intensive Care, Table of Contents

J Pediatr Intensive Care 2024; 13(03): 221-229
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1739263

Original Article

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Visiting Policies: A Worldwide Survey

Anna Camporesi

¹Department of Pediatric Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Children's Hospital Vittore Buzzi, Milano, Italy

,

Anna Zanin

²Department of Women's and Children's Health, Azienda Ospedaliera University of Padua, Padua, Italy

,

Constantinos Kanaris

³Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom

⁴Department of Pediatric and Neonatal Decision Support and Retrieval Service, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom

⁵Blizard Institute Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom

,

Marco Gemma

⁶Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco, Milano, Italy

,

Vanessa Soares Lanziotti

⁷Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Maternal and Child Health, Institute of Pediatrics (IPPMG), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) visiting policies around the world and how the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected these policies, due to concerns relating to a viral transmission. A web-based international survey was designed and disseminated through social networks, emails, or direct messages. Two hundred forty-one answers were received. From these, 26 were excluded (13 due to missing location and 13 duplicated answers), resulting in a final number of 215 answers. Europe accounted for 35% of responses (n = 77), South America 22.4% (n = 49), North America 19% (n = 41), Asia 16.5% (n = 36), Central America 2.7% (n = 6), Oceania, and Africa 2.2% each (n = 5 each). Before the pandemic, reported admission/visiting policies already varied between continents. Family time schedules remained similar to the prepandemic period in half of European, Central, and South American units and have changed in 60% of Asian, African, North American, and Oceanian units. Access to PICUs has been granted for patients and caregivers tested negative for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS COV-2) in only part of studied PICUs. Isolation precautions for the visitors were intensified at the onset of the pandemic. Changes in visiting policies were observed in most PICUs worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, with some PICUs prohibiting any visitation by families. These changes can decrease possibilities of parental participation in emotional support and reduction of sedation needs, early mobility, and shared decision-making process and impact negatively both children and parental well-being and even patients' outcomes.

Keywords

pediatrics - intensive care units - COVID-19 - visitation - patient support

Full Text

References

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Supplementary Material

Supplementary Material