Virtual visiting and other technological adaptations for critical care.

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Critical Care Medicine
• Patient-Family Communication

Background:

• COVID-19 pandemic necessitated stringent social distancing measures.
• These measures led to a near-complete halt of family bedside interactions in critical care settings.
• This cessation negatively impacted patients, families, and healthcare staff.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the negative consequences of restricted family presence during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To implement and evaluate the use of videoconferencing technology to facilitate family bedside interaction.
• To explore the broader clinical and training applications of the developed videoconferencing solutions.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of videoconferencing technology within a hospital's critical care unit.
• Utilizing the technology to enable family bedside interaction despite social distancing.
• Assessing the potential for extending the technology to other clinical and educational uses.

Main Results:

• Videoconferencing technology was successfully introduced to bridge the gap caused by social distancing.
• The implemented solution facilitated continued, albeit virtual, family bedside interaction.
• The technology demonstrated potential for use in clinical consultations and professional training.

Conclusions:

• Videoconferencing offers a viable solution to maintain patient-family connection during public health crises.
• The technology can mitigate the adverse effects of restricted visitation in critical care.
• The developed system has versatile applications beyond immediate patient care, including clinical support and education.