RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Impact of restricted visitation policies in hospitals on patients, family members and healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review protocol
JF BMJ Open
JO BMJ Open
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP e048227
DO 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-048227
VO 11
IS 9
A1 Stephana J Moss
A1 Henry T Stelfox
A1 Karla D Krewulak
A1 Sofia Ahmed
A1 Melanie C Anglin
A1 Sean M Bagshaw
A1 Tavish Barnes
A1 Karen E A Burns
A1 Deborah J Cook
A1 Sarah Crowe
A1 Christopher J Doig
A1 Nadine Foster
A1 Alison Fox-Robichaud
A1 Robert Fowler
A1 Maia Kredenster
A1 Srinivas Murthy
A1 Daniel Niven
A1 Kendiss Olafson
A1 Ken Kuljit S Parhar
A1 Scott B Patten
A1 Oleska Rewa
A1 Bram Rochwerg
A1 Bonnie G Sept
A1 Andrea Soo
A1 Krista Spence
A1 Sean Spence
A1 Sharon E Straus
A1 Andrew West
A1 Jeanna Parsons Leigh
A1 Kirsten M Fiest
YR 2021
UL http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/9/e048227.abstract
AB Introduction Flexible visitation policies in hospitals are an important component of care that contributes to reduced stress and increased satisfaction among patients and their family members. Early evidence suggests restricted visitation policies enacted in hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic are having unintended consequences on patients, family members and healthcare providers. There is a need for a comprehensive summary of the impacts of restricted visitation policies on key stakeholders and approaches to mitigate that impact.Methods and analysis We will conduct a scoping review as per the Arksey-O’Malley 5-stage scoping review method and the Scoping Review Methods Manual by the Joanna Briggs Institute. We will search relevant electronic databases (eg, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO), grey literature and preprint repositories. We will include all study designs including qualitative and quantitative methodologies (excluding protocols) as well as reports, opinions and editorials, to identify the broad impact of restricted hospital visitation policies due to the COVID-19 pandemic on patients, family members or healthcare providers of hospitalised patients, and approaches taken or proposed to mitigate this impact. Two reviewers will calibrate the screening criteria and data abstraction form and will independently screen studies and abstract the data. Narrative synthesis with thematic analysis will be performed.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not applicable as this review will be conducted on published literature only. This scoping review will identify, describe and categorise impacts of restricted hospital visitation policies due to the COVID-19 pandemic on patients, family members and healthcare providers of hospitalised patients, and approaches that have been taken to mitigate impact. We will provide a comprehensive synthesis by developing a framework of restricted visitation policies and associated impacts. Our results will inform the development of consensus statements on restricted visitation policies to be implemented in future pandemics.PROSPERO registration number CRD42020221662.