New Position Statement: Emergency Department Visitation Policies during the COVID-19 Pandemic

AAEM has published a new position statement on emergency department visitation policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AAEM requests that emergency department policies be modified to allow at least one visitor per patient during these difficult times. Each visitor should be provided with the requisite personal protective equipment appropriate for their circumstances, and in accordance with CDC guidelines. This compassionate visitor policy should be available for all patients during their ED course, and not just those at their end-of-life period.

 

 

Who Will Be Their Advocate? A Commentary on Facing Illness Alone.

Jennifer Gemmill, MD FAAEM, Vice Chair of the AAEM Ethics Committee wrote an op-ed to supplement this statement.

The Coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we practice medicine. It has changed the way we interact and socialize, at work and at home. COVID will continue to impact our lives inside and outside the hospital until we have a way to either prevent it, or eradicate it. But there are some things that no virus or other infectious disease will ever be able to change. And that is the strength that we pull from our family and friends in times of despair and joy. We need our families around us during this time, and so do our patients. As providers, we will continue to provide the best care within our capabilities, but we need the assistance and advocacy of our patient’s family and loved ones. We need to have them to be present, safely, at the bedside to speak for the patient when the patient cannot, to encourage the recovery of each patient and to support us as providers as we battle this disease and all the others.