key: cord-0026442-g9gkkvtw
authors: Biese, Kevin; Lock, Sarah Lenz; Agha, Zia
title: Caregivers are not visitors
date: 2022-01-22
journal: J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open
DOI: 10.1002/emp2.12659
sha: b4b00bfbfd2e6d6c7d6ac25866e856385edc0e59
doc_id: 26442
cord_uid: g9gkkvtw

nan

In this journal, Lo Paying careful attention to who is allowed into healthcare settings such as EDs during an infectious pandemic makes sense. However, although the risks of transmitting infection are obviously higher during a pandemic, the limited data that exist on visitors in care settings do not suggest increased risk from enacting policies that carefully allow visitors. 2 The risks of spreading infection, which can be mitigated through careful screening and personal protective equipment (PPE), must be balanced with the increased risks of bad outcomes from a blanket ban on all visitors and caregivers.

Caregivers are not visitors. Patients who need caregivers for daily activities of life are at increased risk of bad outcomes when in a healthcare setting alone. This is intuitively obvious for children, that is, we would not treat a pediatric pandemic by keeping all parents out of the hospitals and EDs. For patients who need caregivers, especially those with dementia, the situation is analogous. We should be just as committed to finding safe ways to grant access to the caregivers of people with dementia as we would be to grant parents access when their children are being treated. Understanding that caregivers are care partners helps physicians and nurses recognize the value these individuals bring. 3 1. EDs and hospitals need to clearly delineate caregivers from visitors, recognizing the critical role caregivers play in patients' well-being.

2. EDs and hospitals should create visitor policies, and distinct caregiver policies, in partnership with the diverse communities they serve.

3. ED and hospital policies need to be culturally appropriate and accessible, for example, written in multiple languages reflecting the diversity in the communities they serve.

It is in all our interests to advocate for policies that identify caregivers as distinct from visitors and for the resources needed to safely include caregivers in the ED and in all healthcare settings whenever JACEP Open 2022;3:e12659.

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