(Re)'Thinking' family in nursing care in pandemic times.

ABSTRACT

AIM: This study aimed to identify which strategies are being adopted to deal with family restrictions in health units and assess nurses' perceptions of including families in nursing care during the current pandemic. BACKGROUND: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, health organisations limited access for visitors. INTRODUCTION: Family centred care needs to be guaranteed, and alternatives for face-to-face interaction should be fostered. Therefore, there is an urgent need to rethink the family in nursing care during a pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive exploratory mixed-method study in Portugal using an electronic questionnaire. The study included 192 nurses recruited using a non-probabilistic convenience sample. The study was reported using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines. RESULTS: A total of 41.1% of participants (n = 79) reported that visits to their services were not authorised, and 66.7% (n = 128) reported resorting to video calls because of the restrictions imposed. Regarding attitude assessment, the average score of the scale was 77.9 (SD = 10.0), ranging between 26 and 98. When analysing the different dimensions of the 'Families' Importance in Nursing Care - Nurses Attitudes' scale, family data stand out as a burden. CONCLUSION: Although a large percentage of participants had a positive attitude towards families and tried to find strategies to maintain family centred care, many nurses still considered the family as a burden. The current COVID-19 pandemic may have aggravated this perception. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE, NURSING POLICY AND HEALTH POLICY The continued implementation of family centred nursing practice is essential for child-well-being, including during the current pandemic. Therefore, having intervention policies with alternative forms of care is highly recommended.