• Christian Bergman, Nathan M Stall, Daniel Haimowitz, Louise Aronson, Joanne Lynn, Karl Steinberg, and Michael Wasserman.
• Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA. Electronic address: Carl.Bergman@vcuhealth.org.
• J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2020 Dec 1; 21 (12): 1759-1766.

ObjectivesNursing homes became epicenters of COVID-19 in the spring of 2020. Due to the substantial case fatality rates within congregate settings, federal agencies recommended restrictions to family visits. Six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, these largely remain in place. The objective of this study was to generate consensus guidance statements focusing on essential family caregivers and visitors.DesignA modified 2-step Delphi process was used to generate consensus statements.Setting And ParticipantsThe Delphi panel consisted of 21 US and Canadian post-acute and long-term care experts in clinical medicine, administration, and patient care advocacy.MethodsState and federal reopening statements were collected in June 2020 and the panel voted on these using a 3-point Likert scale with consensus defined as ≥80% of panel members voting "Agree." The consensus statements then informed development of the visitor guidance statements.ResultsThe Delphi process yielded 77 consensus statements. Regarding visitor guidance, the panel made 5 strong recommendations: (1) maintain strong infection prevention and control precautions, (2) facilitate indoor and outdoor visits, (3) allow limited physical contact with appropriate precautions, (4) assess individual residents' care preferences and level of risk tolerance, and (5) dedicate an essential caregiver and extend the definition of compassionate care visits to include care that promotes psychosocial well-being of residents.Conclusions And ImplicationsThe COVID-19 pandemic has seen substantial regulatory changes without strong consideration of the impact on residents. In the absence of timely and rigorous research, the involvement of clinicians and patient care advocates is important to help create the balance between individual resident preferences and the health of the collective. The results of this evidence-based Delphi process will help guide policy decisions as well as inform future research.Copyright © 2020 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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