Acceptability of temporary suspension of visiting during norovirus outbreaks: investigating patient, visitor and public opinion

Abstract

SummaryBackgroundNoroviruses are a leading cause of outbreaks globally and the most common cause of service disruption due to ward closures. Temporary suspension of visiting (TSV) is increasingly a recommended public health measure to reduce exposure, transmission and impact during norovirus outbreaks; however, preventing patient–visitor contact may contravene the ethos of person-centred care, and public acceptability of this measure is not known.AimTo investigate the acceptability of TSV during norovirus outbreaks from the perspectives of patients, visitors and the wider public.MethodsCross-sectional survey of patients (N = 153), visitors (N = 175) and the public (N = 224) in three diverse areas in Scotland. Health Belief Model constructs were applied to understand ratings of acceptability of TSV during norovirus outbreaks, and to determine associations between these levels and various predictor variables.FindingsThe majority (84.6%) of respondents indicated that the possible benefits of TSV are greater than the possible disadvantages. Conversely, the majority (70%) of respondents disagreed that TSV ‘is wrong as it ignores people's rights to have contact with family and friends’. The majority (81.6%) of respondents agreed that TSV would be more acceptable if exceptions were made for seriously ill or dying patients. Correlational analysis demonstrated that overall acceptability was positively related to perceived severity (r = 0.65), identified benefits (r = 0.54) and implementing additional communication strategies (r = 0.60); acceptability was negatively related to potential barriers (r = −0.49).ConclusionsThere is greater service user and public support for the use of TSV than concerns around impinging upon patients' rights to have visitors. TSV should be considered as an acceptable infection control measure that could be implemented consistently during norovirus outbreaks.

The Establishment and Practice of Pharmacy Care Service Based on Internet Social Media: Telemedicine in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic (Preprint)

“…During the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of crossinfection in the hospital can be minimized by reducing hospital visits and exposure opportunities, [11] strategies that have been widely adopted during the epidemic of various infectious diseases. [12] Due to the epidemic, numerous non-emergency outpatient departments in Chinese hospitals were closed, causing most offline clinics to be unavailable to the public. Amidst the avalanche of reports concerning the spread of the virus, telemedicine, including counselling, supervision, training, and psychoeducation in response to the epidemic, has been promoted and scaled up to reduce the risk of transmission.…”

The influence of price value on purchase intention among patients with chronic diseases in medical e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic in China

“…During this time, many patients, especially people with chronic diseases, had difficulty accessing medical aid, as valuable resources in hospitals were allocated toward mitigating COVID-19 ( 5 ). In addition, gathering in hospitals increases the risk of nosocomial infection for patients who already have various diseases or have low immunity; it also significantly increases the risk of community transmission ( 6 ). E-commerce platforms, especially medical e-commerce (MEC) platforms, naturally have such characteristics to avoid close social contact ( 7 , 8 ).…”

Visita restrictiva / Visita no restrictiva en una unidad de paciente crítico adulto

“…Giannini considera que la lógica detrás de este arraigado comportamiento de aislar al paciente de su familia y amigos radica posiblemente en que el objetivo de preservar la vida del paciente y su salud justifica esta especie de "secuestro" (8). Los motivos que manifiesta el equipo de salud, en especial las enfermeras, para restringir las visitas, son el incremento de los riesgos de infección para el paciente (8,10,11), la interferencia que la familia podría ocasionar en el tratamiento al aumentar el tiempo de trabajo del equipo de salud, el incremento de los niveles de estrés para el paciente, su familia y las enfermeras, y la violación de la privacidad del paciente (8,12,13). Hoy en día hay opiniones encontradas entre lo que el personal de salud y los pacientes creen que es la mejor práctica en cuanto a las visitas (2,(14)(15)(16)(17)(18).…”

“…Los motivos que manifiesta el equipo de salud, en especial las enfermeras, para restringir las visitas, son el incremento de los riesgos de infección para el paciente (8,10,11), la interferencia que la familia podría ocasionar en el tratamiento al aumentar el tiempo de trabajo del equipo de salud, el incremento de los niveles de estrés para el paciente, su familia y las enfermeras, y la violación de la privacidad del paciente (8,12,13). Hoy en día hay opiniones encontradas entre lo que el personal de salud y los pacientes creen que es la mejor práctica en cuanto a las visitas (2,(14)(15)(16)(17)(18). A nivel mundial, los hospitales y las clínicas tienen diferentes protocolos de visitas, los cuales son establecidos por la institución.…”