Contact with family members important in intensive care

During the pandemic, intensive care units were closed to visitors. In a study, researchers examined the isolation that followed from the perspective of the family member and can draw conclusions on how to improve a difficult situation.

Being by the side of loved ones when they are seriously ill is important for the patient, the family member and the healthcare staff. Through in-depth interviews with family members of seriously ill people who have been treated in ICUs for COVID-19, researchers have investigated the impact of not being able to meet their loved ones.

“For the relatives, not being able to meet for such a long period of time was extremely isolating. They were lonely and afraid,” says Åsa Engström, Professor of Nursing at Luleå University of Technology and one of the researchers behind the study.

Routines important in everyday life

Several of those interviewed expressed the importance of having routines to structure their days to function in everyday life despite an extraordinary situation. Some wrote a diary to manage the situation.

“I felt powerless, like I couldn't do anything for him. [crying] I couldn't hold his hand. Well, then it was like focusing on this—this is what I can do for him.” says one of the participants in the study about why it felt important to keep notes.

Regular updates and digital tools

Receiving regular updates from the hospital was valuable to family members, even when the situation did not deteriorate. Digital tools, such as video calls or getting help to talk to the seriously ill person, were also very important.

One of the participants described how she heard her husband mumbling through a speakerphone and the medical staff told her that he said he was longing to go home to the sauna.

“Then I just felt, yes! He is there. It was like a relief that he had said such a thing, it felt like he wants to go home.”

Family members a lifeline and resource

In her previous research, Åsa Engström has shown how important the family member is in intensive care, and the opportunity to study what happens in the absence of relatives confirmed the picture. It is not only relatives who are affected – the patient and the healthcare system also need the relatives.

“For the patient, the family member is a lifeline, a reason to keep fighting. The importance of being close to someone who is not fully conscious should not be underestimated. Hearing a voice can be extremely important. In a previous study External link, opens in new window. on the perspective of intensive care patients during the pandemic, many said they thought their loved ones were dead,” she says.

For healthcare professionals, the family member is a great resource in caring for patients who cannot speak for themselves. In a previous study in the same project, the researchers show that intensive care nurses were under great moral stress during the pandemic, with the lack of contact with family members being a contributing factor.

Take home messages for the future

Despite the major disadvantages of excluding relatives from intensive care units, Åsa Engström believes that it was the right way to go during the most intense phase of the pandemic. However, in the future there needs to be a balance between the risk of infection and the importance of family members.

“We can learn lessons about the importance of regular updates and digital solutions. It is not about developing high-tech solutions, more about human rights, dignity and the value of involving family members,” she says.

About the research

The article Close relatives' perspective of critical illness due to COVID-19: Keeping in touch at a distance External link, opens in new window. is published in the scientific journal Nursing Open.

The study is part of a project where researchers investigated different aspects of intensive care during the pandemic.