ABSTRACT
Lors de la pandémie COVID-19 de 2020, des mesures de distanciation sociale ont été instaurées du jour au lendemain. Les familles de patients ont accompagné leurs proches aux urgences des hôpitaux et ne les ont plus revus pendant des semaines du fait du confinement. En réanimation, les soignants ont compris et souhaité la restriction des visites, afin de limiter la diffusion de l'épidémie, inquiets qu'ils étaient de voir leur capacité d'accueil débordée. Ils ont néanmoins rapidement cherché à pallier cet empêchement en créant des relations différentes avec les proches et en utilisant de nouveaux modes de communication pour permettre aux patients et à leur proches de rester en contact. D'autres modes de communication tels que les courriers, messages et contact téléphoniques ou e-visites ont été mis en place. Ces modes de communications ont cependant posé certains problèmes comme le risque de diffusion d'images de patients sédatés, sur les réseaux sociaux notamment. Par ailleurs, les familles, prises dans un environnement médiatique délivrant des informations contradictoires et anxiogènes, n'ont pas toujours compris les restrictions d'accès et ont fait peser une pression psychologique sur les équipes soignantes. Alors que la recommandation préalable à l'épidémie était de faciliter l'accès des familles en réanimation, ces nouvelles conditions ont nécessité une adaptation dont les leçons devront être tirées pour mieux faire face à des évènements de même nature dans le futur.
ABSTRACT
Social distancing steps have been set during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Patients' families brought their relatives to the emergency department and did not see them again for weeks due to lockdown of the whole population. Caregivers understood and approved the restriction of visits in ICU, in order to limit epidemic spreading, worried by overwhelming of their capacity would be overwhelmed and that they would not be able to admit all the patients requiring intensive care. However, they quickly sought to compensate by creating different relationships with relatives, using new ways of communication enabling patients and their relatives to keep in touch. Letters, messages services, phone calls and e-visits were set up. This brought new risks such as patient' images diffusion on social networks. In addition, relatives, caught with contradictory stressful information provided by medias, did not always understand that they could not have a direct access to patients and put psychological pressure on healthcare providers. Considering that previous recommendations support an unrestricted access of relatives to the ICU patients, caregivers have had to deal with new rules and have got experience that will be useful in case of the occurrence of comparable events.
ABSTRACT
Social distancing steps have been set during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Patients’ families brought their relatives to the emergency department and did not see them again for weeks due to lockdown of the whole population. Caregivers understood and approved the restriction of visits in ICU, in order to limit epidemic spreading, worried by overwhelming of their capacity would be overwhelmed and that they would not be able to admit all the patients requiring intensive care. However, they quickly sought to compensate by creating different relationships with relatives, using new ways of communication enabling patients and their relatives to keep in touch. Letters, messages services, phone calls and e-visits were set up. This brought new risks such as patient’ images diffusion on social networks. In addition, relatives, caught with contradictory stressful information provided by medias, did not always understand that they could not have a direct access to patients and put psychological pressure on healthcare providers. Considering that previous recommendations support an unrestricted access of relatives to the ICU patients, caregivers have had to deal with new rules and have got experience that will be useful in case of the occurrence of comparable events.