• Molly J Ryan, Laurie Lee, Sara Drisdelle, Daniel Garros, Jamie A Seabrook, Janet Curran, Jacqueline Bretzler, Corey Slumkoski, Martha Walls, Laura Betts, Stacy Burgess, and Jennifer R Foster.
• Department of Pediatric Critical Care, IWK Health, Halifax, NS, Canada.
• Can J Anaesth. 2024 Jul 1; 71 (7): 100410141004-1014.

PurposePediatric intensive care units (PICUs) worldwide restricted family presence in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to explore the experiences and impact of restricted family presence policies on Canadian PICU clinicians.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study that followed an interpretive phenomenological design. Participants were PICU clinicians providing direct patient care in Canada during periods of COVID-19-related restricted family presence. We purposively sampled for maximum variation among survey participants who consented to be contacted for further research on the same topic. In-depth interviews were conducted remotely via telephone or video-call, audio-recorded, and transcribed. Interviews were inductively coded and underwent thematic analysis. Proposed themes were member-checked by interviewees.ResultsSixteen PICU clinicians completed interviews. Interviewees practiced across Canada, represented a range of disciplines (eight nurses, two physicians, two respiratory therapists, two child life specialists, two social workers) and years in profession (0-34 years). We identified four themes representing the most meaningful aspects of restricted family presence for participants: 1) balancing infection control and family presence; 2) feeling disempowered by hospital and policy-making hierarchies; 3) empathizing with family trauma; and 4) navigating threats to the therapeutic relationship.ConclusionPediatric intensive care unit clinicians were impacted by restricted family presence policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. These policies contributed to feelings of disempowerment and challenged clinicians' perceived ability to provide the best family-centred care possible. Frontline expertise should be incorporated into the design and implementation of policies to best support family-centred care in any context and minimize risks of moral distress for PICU clinicians.© 2024. The Author(s).

25 keywords...

hide…