Family Presence During Covid-19: Learning from One Hospital’s Journey

After complying with pandemic-related regulatory interventions and imposing access restrictions to patient family members, leaders at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center are adopting procedures to integrate patient, family, and community partners in reestablishing robust family presence policies.

Summary

This article outlines one hospital’s journey with family presence policies and practice. Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center, which had embraced full 24-7 access for patients’ families back in 2010, has found the Covid-19–related restrictions to be disruptive and harmful. In collaboration with the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care, they have adopted processes to facilitate the integration of patient, family, and community partners in the planning and decision-making...