COVID-19 ICU Visit Restrictions Add to Staff Stress, Burnout

October 20, 2021

(Medscape) – During the COVID-19 pandemic, visitation in intensive care units (ICUs) has been restricted for obvious safety reasons, but such restrictions have contributed to the already serious strains on staff, results of a survey indicate. Among 91 residents, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who work in ICUs in the Emory Healthcare system, in Atlanta, Georgia, two thirds agreed that visitation restrictions were necessary, but nearly three fourths said that the restrictions had a negative effect on their job satisfaction, and slightly more than half reported experiencing symptoms of burnout, wrote Nicole Herbst, MD, and Joanne Kuntz, MD, from Emory University School of Medicine. (Read Full Article)