Fewer things could have made me prouder than how the world of healthcare has really come together over the last few weeks. In this unprecedented situation, I’ve seen the medical community band together with the sole aim of optimal patient care in an unprecedented situation. The stories have been heroic and deserve recognition.
There is however one recurrent healthcare story I keep hearing during this pandemic—which not only makes me sad, but angry too. One has to be careful during a time like this to ensure the accuracy of various news stories—so I will reserve judgment until I hear it directly from people involved.
Nothing could be more tragic than sickness, death and dying. Which is why I am astounded when I keep hearing about hospitals that are enforcing a strict policy of not allowing any loved ones to visit patients, even when they at a terminal stage of illness. I work in more than one hospital—and although we no longer allow routine family visits (with the goal of preventing coronavirus spread)—we always make an exception for any patient who may be “comfort care” at an imminent stage of passing away. We allow at least a couple of relatives to come in at a time—gowned, gloved and masked—to be at their loved one’s side, see them for the last few times, and say a final goodbye. Typically, a visit of less than an hour (I’ve heard of some institutions that are very strict about “15 minutes only”—which does not make sense to me and seems unnecessarily harsh). We are doing this for both terminally ill COVID and non-COVID patients.
As I keep seeing media stories of families who have reportedly been devastated that their loved one had “died alone”—I would like to find out if these incidents are actually true, because I cannot imagine healthcare losing that amount of compassion at this time. Barring a sudden death, no facility should ban any loved ones from coming into the hospital if only a couple of days or a few hours of life are left. If this is being done—anywhere in the world—it would be unconscionable. Common sense and empathy must prevail.
If you are reading this and have experienced this sort of strictness from a healthcare institution, for a dying relative—please email me directly because I’d like to know the names of these places and contact them myself about this cruel policy.
Follow me on:
YouTube: Suneel Dhand
Instagram: suneeldhand
Hi Suneel
I believe the practice is widespread. In hospitals, and their emergency rooms, it happens everyday, especially those that are patient impacted, or without PPEs.
Below is a “snippet” I wrote on April 5, 2020. As you feel, it is the responsibility of our profession to maintain humanity for our patients!
Keep up the great work communicating with our colleagues, and the public!
Gene
Doctor’s Diary: April 5, 2020
(Snippets from the frontline)
COVID-19: Comforting your hospitalized loved one
Hospitals do not have enough PPE (Personal Protective Equipment – gloves, masks, gowns, shoe coverings), nor sufficient access to COVID-19 testing.
When a policy is made not allowing family to be with loved ones, it is deemed inhumane. Yet hospitals must protect patients from spreading this virus to the medical staff, and the public. One contaminating source could be from visiting family members.
Conversely, ill loved ones need a hand to hold and psychologic support to alleviate pain and suffering. We know there are aspects of the mind modern medicine cannot heal.
The initial solution: Utilize cell phone technology to maintain communication if your hospitalized loved one is capable.
The next solution: Find a way to quickly increase hospital PPE supplies, and augment COVID-19 testing.
Once this is done:
Allow at least one garbed family member to be with their loved one;
educate them on the proper use of PPEs;
emphasize cleansing techniques like handwashing, and keeping the surrounding room sterile;
get testing for family members as well as staff.
Everyone must be protected and comforted, but let’s adapt and find creative solutions to assure continued humanity in hospitals during this crisis.
Gene Uzawa Dorio, M.D.
Comments: http://scvphysicianreport.com/2020/04/05/doctors-diary-april-5-2020-covid-19-comforting-your-hospitalized-loved-one/ Hit “Home” for past snippets.
Gene, thank you for this. Your points are spot on! Suneel
Thank you for this, Dr. Dhand.
This is happening, I believe, at nursing homes across my state. I am a volunteer lay minister at one such facility. The scourge of dying separated from loved ones seems worse to me than the virus. Were I a resident of a facility, I hope I would suffer patiently, but I know I would suffer from the separation. Were I a family member, I believe I would want to risk getting the virus to be with person I love.
I wrote the following which was published on a medical ethics listserv and was a response to an important issue brought out by Senator Warren’s public statement:
————————————————————————————
And though we don’t know the details from the news media, Senator Warren who just lost her brother to COVID stated as noted
in the current news item: ““I’m grateful to the nurses and frontline staff who took care of him, but it’s hard to know that there was no family to hold his hand or to say ‘I love you’ one more time ― and no funeral for those of us who loved him to hold each other close,” Warren wrote in a tweet. “I’ll miss you dearly my brother.”
My question would be “was there family available but were prevented from being present? Our President daily implies “no shortage” “no shortage” “no shortage” of PPE. Should we believe him? … there is the family visitor’s voice and narrative spoken which, if the patient is conscious and can hear could be recognized and even the family’s exposed eyes and eyebrows as seen through a shield and mask might be recognizable to the sick patient.
There should be patient human dignity to be preserved or even attempted to be preserved despite COVID even if the prognosis for recovery is nil..
—————————————————————————————-
So, as you see, Dr. Dhand, I am in perfect agreement with you. ..Maurice ‘Bernstein, M.D.