PICU family presence policies — survey responses (n = 24)*
| Family presence policy | No. (%) of respondents | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before the pandemic | March 2020 | August–December 2020 | |||
| Patients without SARS-CoV-2 infection | Patients with confirmed or suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection | Patients without SARS-CoV-2 infection | Patients with confirmed or suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection | ||
| Shared policies between PICU and all pediatric care areas | |||||
| Yes | 11 (46) | 20 (83) | |||
| No | 7 (29) | 3 (13) | |||
| Unsure | 6 (25) | 1 (4) | |||
| Agreement, no. of pairs (% agreement)† | 2 (50) | 5 (100) | |||
| No. of support people at bedside | |||||
| 1 | 0 (0) | 21 (88) | 23 (96) | 5 (21) | 12 (50) |
| 2 (strict) | 8 (33) | 3 (13) | 1 (4) | 19 (79) | 12 (50) |
| 2 (flexible) | 11 (46) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Unlimited | 5 (21) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Agreement, no. of pairs (% agreement)‡ | 5 (0) | 5 (80) | 5 (100) | 5 (100) | 5 (60) |
| Switches to enable other parent’s presence§ | |||||
| Unnecessary (multiple visitors permitted) | 24 (100) | 3 (13) | 1 (4) | 19 (79) | 12 (50) |
| Not allowed | 0 (0) | 7 (30) | 13 (57) | 0 (0) | 3 (13) |
| Any time | 0 (0) | 4 (17) | 2 (9) | 1 (4) | 2 (8) |
| Restricted times or frequencies | 0 (0) | 9 (39) | 7 (30) | 4 (17) | 7 (29) |
| Agreement, no. of pairs (% agreement)‡ | 5 (100) | 4 (50) | 4 (75) | 5 (100) | 5 (40) |
| Timing of parental presence | |||||
| 24/7 | 13 (54) | 19 (79) | 22 (92) | 20 (83) | 23 (96) |
| Parents always allowed, but only 1 may stay if sleeping | 6 (25) | 2 (8) | 1 (4) | 2 (8) | 1 (4) |
| Parents must leave overnight | 2 (8) | 1 (4) | 1 (4) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Parents must leave during rounds or handover | 3 (13) | 2 (8) | 0 (0) | 2 (8) | 0 (0) |
| Agreement, no. of pairs (% agreement)‡ | 5 (80) | 4 (80) | 5 (100) | 5 (80) | 5 (100) |
| Nonparent family members and visitors may switch into bedside¶ | |||||
| Unnecessary (family and visitors unlimited) | 6 (25) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Not allowed | 0 (0) | 23 (96) | 23 (96) | 15 (65) | 19 (83) |
| Any time | 12 (50) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 3 (13) | 0 (0) |
| Restricted times or frequencies | 6 (25) | 1 (4) | 1 (4) | 5 (22) | 4 (17) |
| Agreement, no. of pairs (% agreement)‡ | 5 (60) | 5 (100) | 5 (100) | 4 (50) | 4 (50) |
| Sibling presence | |||||
| Unrestricted | 12 (50) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (4) | 0 (0) |
| Not allowed, or only at end of life | 1 (4) | 24 (100) | 24 (100) | 17 (71) | 23 (96) |
| With restrictions (e.g., time, duration, age) | 9 (38) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 6 (25) | 1 (4) |
| At RN discretion | 2 (8) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Agreement, no. of pairs (% agreement)‡ | 5 (80) | 5 (100) | 5 (100) | 5 (100) | 5 (100) |
Note: PICU = pediatric intensive care unit, RN = registered nurse.
↵* Unless otherwise indicated.
↵† Physician chief and operations manager pairs from the same unit who did not indicate “unsure.”
↵‡ Physician chief and operations manager pairs from the same unit for which both provided an answer to the given variable.
↵§ Early pandemic: n = 23.
↵¶ Mid-pandemic: n = 23.