<b><i>Framework:</i></b> Considering that the current data on health care safety remain alarming, there is an overwhelming urge for the ongoing study of this topic and for recommendations and differentiated strategies which aim to promote health and which prove effective. Some recommendations have been taken into consideration, such as patient-centered care, and consequently the need for greater involvement of patient and family in this process. However, we have identified arguments for and against the involvement of family in the care process, and consequently a greater or lesser openness towards hospital visits. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> What are the implications of the presence of family for the safety of hospitalized patients? What does the science say about these implications? <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We conducted an integrative literature review by referring to the Web of Science, CINAHL, Medline, and Scopus databases, according to the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute for scoping review. <b><i>Results:</i></b> We found 115 articles. After selection, 13 articles were included in this review. There were 6 qualitative studies, 5 quantitative studies, and 2 literature reviews. Data were grouped according to: the perspective of patients and their families, the health professionals’ perspective, and statistical evidence. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Families take efforts to protect the safety of hospitalized patients but feel unprepared; a lack of follow-up was reported. Some health professionals claim that the presence of the family can increase the risks for patient safety and the fear of an increased workload. The evidence of the presence of the family and its link to the safety of the hospitalized patient demonstrated that this relationship is not yet well understood. There were limited findings about this in the current literature. <b><i>Relevance to Clinical Practice:</i></b> Structured interventions about family integration in ensuring the safety of hospitalized patients may have the potential to contribute to the safety of health care.

Background: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, several measures were taken to prevent the transmission of infection in the hospital environment, including the restriction of visits. Little is known about the consequences of these directives, but it is expected that they will have various implications. Thus, this study aimed to understand the consequences of measures to restrict visits to hospitalized individuals. Methods: A qualitative interpretive study was conducted through semistructured interviews with 10 nurses chosen by convenience. Content analysis was performed using Atlas.ti software, version 22 (Berlin, Germany). Results: Twenty-two categories and eight subcategories were identified and grouped according to their scope: implications for the patient, implications for the family, and implications for care practice. Conclusions: The identified categories of implications of restricting hospital visits (implications for patients, relatives, and care practices) are incomparably more negative than positive and have a strong potential to cause safety events in the short to long term, also jeopardizing the quality of care. There is the risk of stagnation and even setback due to this removal of families from the hospital environment, not only in terms of safety and quality of care but also with regard to person- and family-centered care.

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Background: Person and Family Centered Care (PFCC) has demonstrated important contributions to health care outcomes. However, in response to the need for safety due to the pandemic COVID-19, measures were taken to restrict hospital visits. So, the aim of this study was to understand the healthcare experience of family members of patients hospitalized during the pandemic period regarding safety and person- and family-centered care. Methods: Qualitative interpretative study, conducted through semi-structured interviews with six family members of people hospitalized during the pandemic period. Content analysis was performed using Atlas.ti software version 22 (Berlin, Germany) and Bardin’s methodology. Results and Conclusions: Restrictions on hospital visits due to the pandemic of COVID-19 have led to a distancing of families from the hospital setting and influenced healthcare practice, making it difficult to involve families in the care process. In some cases, healthcare professionals made efforts to provide PFCC, attempting to minimize the impact of the visitation restriction. However, there were reported experiences of care delivery that did not consider social and psychological factors and did not place the person and family at the center of the care process, relying instead on the biomedical model. These practices left out important factors for the provision of safe care. It is crucial, even in pandemic settings, that healthcare professionals provide person- and family-centered care to the extent possible, promoting the safety of care. The family should be involved in the care of the person in the inpatient setting.

Introdução: Devido à pandemia por COVID-19, para garantir a segurança dos cuidados de saúde e conter a sua transmissão, foram adotadas medidas restritivas que afastaram as famílias dos doentes hospitalizados. Tais medidas trouxeram implicações. Objetivo: analisar, a partir dos discursos dos enfermeiros especialistas em enfermagem de reabilitação (EEER), as vantagens, desvantagens e contextos da presença da família nos hospitais, à luz da segurança do doente, em contexto pandémico. Metodologia: Estudo qualitativo interpretativo fundamentado no modelo de risco de James Reason, realizado através de entrevista semiestruturada a 6 EEER escolhidos por conveniência. Realizada análise de conteúdo com recurso ao software Atlas.ti. e à metodologia de Bardin. Resultados: Foram identificadas 17 categorias agrupadas de acordo com a representação da família na segurança do doente: 10 categorias na visão da família potencializadora de falhas de segurança e 7 no âmbito da família como barreira de segurança. Discussão: Os EEER consideram a presença da família como muito importante para doentes hospitalizados e para a segurança dos cuidados., No entanto, os seus discursos evidenciam que a sua atuação foi fortemente influenciada pela visão da família como potencial disseminador de infeção, demonstrando uma avaliação mais negativa do que positiva desta presença para a manutenção dessa segurança, nem sempre suportada pela evidencia disponível. Conclusão: As medidas restritivas poderão estar a contribuir para um retrocesso na prestação de cuidados centrados na família do doente hospitalizado. Contudo, há falta de dados a nível nacional que permitam perceber se as famílias em Portugal representam um risco para a segurança nos hospitalizados.