A new resource, Person-Centered Guidelines for Preserving Family Presence in Challenging Times, offers a set of principles and guidelines to help health care settings navigate the twin goals of honoring person-centered care and minimizing the risk of coronavirus spread within health care settings and the broader community.
Crafted by a multi-stakeholder “pop-up” of patients, advocates, clinicians, infection control experts, health care executives, and policymakers, the 10-page publication from Planetree International outlines considerations and practical guidance for maximizing the therapeutic benefits of family participation while limiting the risk of spreading the virus. The document is especially timely as organizations revise visitation and family support policies for inpatient and long-term care stays as well as outpatient appointments now that Massachusetts is in Phase 3 of its re-opening effort.
The authors also contemplate what family presence and participation might look like in the post-COVID future and urge organizations to “build on what we learn and ensure that person-centered approaches to care continue to evolve and flourish in a safe, compassionate, and evidence-based manner.”