Responses to Hospital Restrictions on Family Visits during the COVID-19 Epidemic in Mali and France.

Few studies have focused on the presence of families in the hospital in the context of an epidemic. The present study aims to contribute to filling this gap by answering the following question: How did professionals, patients and their families cope with more or less drastic restrictions to family visits and presence during the COVID-19 pandemic in a French and a Malian hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic? Data were collected during the first two waves of the pandemic through 111 semi-structured interviews (France = 55, Mali = 56). Most of the interviews were conducted with staff (n = 103), but also with families in the case of Mali (n = 8). The investigators also conducted 150 days of field observations, 44 in France and 106 in Mali. Thematic analysis was applied using an inductive approach. Interviews were content analyzed to identify passages in the interviews that were relevant to these different themes. The study highlighted the difficulty for the medical-clinical system to provide appropriate responses to the many emotional needs of patients in a pandemic context. Families in France benefited from a support service to reduce stress, while in Mali, no initiative was taken in this sense. In both countries, families often used the telephone as an alternative means of communicating with relatives. The results showed that in the two contexts, the presence and involvement of the families contributed to a better response to the patients' psycho-affective demands and thus promoted resilience in this field.

Care and compassion at time of pandemic: an ICU field experience in Italy.

After the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in March 2020, the majority of hospital policies have followed guidelines aimed to prevent the virus transmission and the families' entry was denied in all hospital wards and intensive care units (ICU). Despite being necessary, such restrictions have been experienced with discomfort and sufferings by the general ICU staff of Treviso Hospital (Italy) and by families of patients. Therefore, from April 2020, a step-by-step project was developed to reactivate contact with COVID-19 patients' families. The several requests and appeals of intensive care communities and organizations, both nationally and internationally, motivated the Treviso hospital initiative, leading to a model that might be potentially useful to other intensive care units worldwide.

Interventions promoting family involvement with care homes following placement of a relative with dementia: A systematic review.

There is a wealth of literature investigating the role of family involvement within care homes following placement of a relative with dementia. This review summarises how family involvement is measured and aims to address two questions: (1) which interventions concerning family involvement have been evaluated? And (2) does family involvement within care homes have a positive effect on a resident's quality of life and behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia? After searching and screening on the three major databases PsycINFO, MEDLINE and CINAHL Plus for papers published between January 2005 and May 2021, 22 papers were included for synthesis and appraisal due to their relevance to family involvement interventions and or family involvement with resident outcomes. Results show that in 11 interventions designed to enhance at least one type of family involvement, most found positive changes in communication and family-staff relationships. Improvement in resident behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia was reported in two randomised controlled trials promoting partnership. Visit frequency was associated with a reduction of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia for residents with moderate dementia. Family involvement was related to positive quality of life benefits for residents. Contrasting results and methodological weaknesses in some studies made definitive conclusions difficult. Few interventions to specifically promote family involvement within care homes following placement of a relative with dementia have been evaluated. Many proposals for further research made over a decade ago by Gaugler (2005) have yet to be extensively pursued. Uncertainty remains about how best to facilitate an optimum level and type of family involvement to ensure significant quality of life and behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia benefits for residents with dementia.

The effect of postpartum family visits on the promotion of breastfeeding and improvement of maternal and infant health.

OBJECTIVE: The study was designed to explore the effect of postpartum family visits on the promotion of breastfeeding and the improvement of maternal and infant health. METHODS: A total of 200 cases of parturients who gave birth in our hospital from January 2019 to January 2020 were selected as the research participants. According to a randomized, double-blinded and controlled manner, they were divided into a study group (n=100, with postpartum family visits) and a control group (n=100, without postpartum family visits). The amount of lactation, breastfeeding status, knowledge of breastfeeding health, and the incidence of maternal adverse events were compared between the two groups at different follow-up times after intervention. The physical development of infants and the occurrence of adverse events were also compared. RESULTS: The lactation of the parturients in the study group at 28, 60, and 120 days after delivery was significantly higher than that of the control group, and the proportion of exclusive breastfeeding of the study group was higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). The comparison of 120 days after delivery showed that the knowledge of breastfeeding health and self-confidence in breastfeeding in the study group were better than those in the control group (P<0.05). The 120-day postpartum evaluation showed that there was no significant difference in the height and weight of the infants between the two groups (P>0.05). The incidence of maternal and neonatal adverse events of the study group was lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Postpartum family visits for parturients can help improve breastfeeding, increase maternal knowledge of breastfeeding health, and also help reduce the incidence of various adverse events of parturients and infants, which is worthy of clinical application.

Understanding Parents' Roles in Children's Learning and Engagement in Informal Science Learning Sites.

Informal science learning sites (ISLS) create opportunities for children to learn about science outside of the classroom. This study analyzed children's learning behaviors in ISLS using video recordings of family visits to a zoo, children's museum, or aquarium. Furthermore, parent behaviors, features of the exhibits and the presence of an educator were also examined in relation to children's behaviors. Participants included 63 children (60.3% female) and 44 parents in 31 family groups. Results showed that parents' science questions and explanations were positively related to children observing the exhibit. Parents' science explanations were also negatively related to children's science explanations. Furthermore, children were more likely to provide science explanations when the exhibit was not interactive. Lastly there were no differences in children's behaviors based on whether an educator was present at the exhibit. This study provides further evidence that children's interactions with others and their environment are important for children's learning behaviors.

"Opening Our Time Capsule"-Creating an Individualized Music and Other Memory Cues Database to Promote Communication Between Spouses and People With Dementia During Visits to a Nursing Home.

Background: Family members play a critical role in caring for people with dementia, and their involvement in care continues even after their loved ones are placed in long-term care facilities. The dynamics of family involvement following institutionalization are complex and challenging. The strain on caregivers does not cease and communication difficulties are a major barrier due to deteriorating language abilities as a result of dementia. Also, caregivers' involvement has implications on the quality of life of both the older adult and his family members. Objective: To help alleviate caregivers' burden during visiting hours, by promoting communication opportunities. The program included the creation of an individualized database using personal music and photos that present life episodes. Methods: A qualitative research was used to explore spouses' experience during visits and the process of creating and using the individualized database. Participants included three women who regularly visited their partners who had dementia and resided in a nursing home. The first phase included creating an individualized database for each couple. In the second phase, four meetings were conducted, each woman with her partner, utilizing the database on a tablet. A case study research design was used and various types of data were collected and analyzed. The data included interview reports (pre-post intervention), preparation meetings reports, spouses' recorded reactions at the end of each of the four visits, and the music therapist's written log during the program. Results: All documented data revealed the difficulties, mostly the communication barrier, encountered by the three women during their visits to the nursing home. All reported that using the individualized database helped them to find ways to communicate with their partners, relive shared past experiences, and alleviate the stress and feelings of disconnection during visits. Conclusions: Forming a bridge between past and present via individualized music and photos databases can be helpful in bridging the gap between people with dementia in nursing homes and their family members.