A roadmap for patient- and family-centered care during the pandemic

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected profoundly all parties and health-care delivery. Most hospitalized patients find that separation from loved ones takes a toll on them and the safety measures instituted come at a huge cost to their physical and emotional well-being. Family members are distressed and traumatized because they are unable to support or advocate for their loved ones and feel disconnected from the health-care team. Health-care professionals (HCPs) experience psychological and moral distress because the absence of families negatively affects their ability to provide quality, compassionate, and timely care. As a result, there have been calls for revisions of policies and procedures to reprioritize patient- and family-centered care (PFCC). Building upon their experience as frontline HCPs, health-care team leaders, and patients and family members who are also frontline HCPs, the interprofessional team (psychologists, psychiatrists, hospitalists, nurses, and specialists) of co-authors reviewed the literature and developed collegial consensus on a roadmap for PFCC during the pandemic that includes guiding principles along with associated best practices and implementation strategies for their operationalization. The guiding principles focus on providing safe yet compassionate and ethical PFCC;balancing community health and the mitigation of viral transmission with appreciating family members as essential partners in care;fostering communication between patients and their families;and promoting interactions and decision-making among HCPs, patients, and families. We hope this roadmap facilitates the transformation of the health-care culture during the pandemic to one that is truly patient and family centered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) © 2021 American Psychological Association