Video and Telephone Calls as a Strategy to Improve Communication Between Patients in the Intensive Care Unit, their Relatives, and Treating Physicians

Background: Patients affected by COVID-19 required physical/social isolation due to the transmissibility of SARs CoV-2. As a result, those treated in healthcare facilities often suffered loneliness due to a complete separation from loved ones. Additionally, human contact and movement were restricted to contain the spread of disease. By focusing on a patient-and family-centered model, this study aims to minimize the impact of social isolation in hospitalized patients by implementing regular doctor-led video conference calls with family members and video calls between the patient and family members when feasible. Methods: This observational descriptive study used qualitative variables to analyze information obtained from virtual focus groups consisting of medical professionals or family members of hospitalized patients in the Eugenio Espejo Hospital (EEH) ICU in Quito, Ecuador. Each video call allowed the authors to assess anony-mous opinions concerning communication methods utilized during daily clinical updates in the ICU. Results: There was increased satisfaction among family members and medical professionals with the implementation of video calls compared to traditional telephone calls. A contrast between the time before and after implementing the telehealth team was observed in at least five characteristics: (1) the general tele-health experience, (2) the clarity of the messages, (3) the quality of care, (4) the sense of comfort, and (5) the improvement of communication. Conclusions: There was a positive effect on communication quality for family members and medical profes-sionals, increasing their satisfaction in terms of finding new methods to reduce the social isolation enforced by the current pandemic. Nevertheless, the future role of virtual communication remains undefined as we return to individualized face-to-face meetings.