Visitation restriction and decision making: Healthcare surrogate experiences.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to discover whether hospital visitation restrictions imposed during COVID, and remaining at some institutions, influenced surrogate decision-making. METHODS: Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews of people who served as healthcare surrogates for patients admitted to the intensive care unit with a palliative care consultation in January of 2021 at a large tertiary care hospital. RESULTS: Thirteen healthcare surrogates agreed to be interviewed out of the fifty-six who were identified and invited to participate. The following themes emerged: 1) Decision-making was delayed as surrogates desire to make decisions in conjunction with the patient; 2) visitation restriction disrupted processes of grief and end-of-life rituals; 3) it prevented healing that occurs with closeness to loved ones; 4) visitation permission was poorly communicated and inconsistent; 5) virtual connection was inconsistent and proved ineffective in context; 6) communication was often stressful and confusing. CONCLUSION: From the point of view of healthcare surrogates, visitation restriction disrupted the normal process of decision-making by impeding important healing and grief rituals, and making connection difficult, despite policies and technology that was meant to assist. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Visitation restriction carries risk such as delaying decision-making and the perceived healing benefits of visitation.

Association Between Patient Race and Ethnicity and Outcomes With COVID-19: A Retrospective Analysis From a Large Mid-Atlantic Health System.

BACKGROUND: Members of racial and ethnic minority groups have been disproportionately impacted by coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19). The objective of the study is to describe associations between race and ethnicity on clinical outcomes such as need for mechanical ventilation and mortality. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of patients with severe COVID-19 infection admitted within a large, not-for-profit healthcare system in the mid-Atlantic region between March and July, 2020. Patient demographic data and clinical outcomes were abstracted from the electronic health record. Logistic regressions were performed to estimate associations between race and ethnicity and the clinical outcomes. RESULTS: The study population (N = 2931) was stratified into 1 of 3 subgroups: non-Hispanic White (n = 466), non-Hispanic Black (n = 1611), and Hispanic (n = 654). The average age of White, Black, and Hispanic patients was 69 ± 17.06, 64 ± 15.9, and 50 ± 15.53 years old, respectively (P < .001). Compared to White patients, Black and Hispanic patients were at increased odds of needing mechanical ventilation due to COVID-19 pneumonia (odds ratio [OR] Black = 1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04 to 1.75, P < .05; OR Hispanic = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.06 to 1.93, P < .05). When compared to White patients, Hispanic patients were at decreased odds of death (OR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.32 to 0.63, P < .001). However, when adjusting for age, there were no statistically significant differences in the odds of death between these groups (adjusted OR [aOR] Black = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.80 to 1.38, P = .71; aOR Hispanic = 1.10, 95% CI = 0.76 to 1.60, P = .62). CONCLUSION: Our analysis demonstrated that Hispanic patients were more likely require mechanical ventilation but had lower mortality when compared to White patients, with lower average age likely mediating this association. These findings emphasize the importance of outreach efforts to communities of color to increase prevention measures and vaccination uptake to reduce infection with COVID-19.