In times of the first corona wave it was extra hard to inform and support family of isolated patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Patients were life-threatening ill and could barely communicate. Family were unable to visit the patient and because of the hectic situation during the COVID-19 peak, the communication between the visitors and the involved health care professionals was not optimal. Attention for family is very important, especially in times of a crisis.
Therefore, initiatives arose in different places to give clear information and support to family. We evaluate these initiatives to investigate what the best way is to support family in similar situations in the future (for instance a new peak of COVID-19 or another pandemic).
During the first COVID-19 peak, workers of the ICUs at Amsterdam UMC, were supported by a team of physicians. The job of these support team was to communicate with the family of the ICU-patients as well as to support these relatives. This was a complete new form of care. That is why a research group immediately started a pilot study to map the experiences of the family and the professionals. These research results are put on paper and have been used to develop a guide on how to organize such a team in the future. These documents are available online and accessible to everyone:
The research group also started to set up a project which studies supporting initiatives on all the ICU’s in Noord-Holland and Flevoland. This will be done by mapping all different initiatives in this region and by evaluating these initiatives. Therefore, questionnaires will be send to family of an isolated and life-threatening ill patient with covid-19 who was admitted to the ICU during the first COVID-19 peak, and questionnaires will be send to ICU staff and members of the support teams. Additionally in-depth interviews will be held with a selection of participants.
Based on the results an overview of (elements of) initiatives that seem to work to support family will be made and discussed with experts to see whether and how these element can be implemented in situations that family cannot visit patients.
This project is funded by ZonMw. More information can also be found on the website of Palliatieve Zorg Noord-Holland Flevoland.
APH contact person: Bregje Onwuteaka-Philipsen: b.philipsen@amsterdamumc.nl