Evaluating Perspectives of Relatives of Nursing Home Residents on the Nursing Home Visiting Restrictions During the COVID-19 Crisis: A Dutch Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Objectives: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused many nursing homes to prohibit resident visits to prevent viral spread. Although visiting restrictions are instituted to prolong the life of nursing home residents, they may detrimentally affect their quality of life. The aim of this study was to capture perspectives from the relatives of nursing home residents on nursing home visiting restrictions.

Design: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted.

Setting and participants: A convenience sample of Dutch relatives of nursing home residents (n = 1997) completed an online survey on their perspectives regarding nursing home visiting restrictions.

Methods: The survey included Likert-item, multiselect, and open-answer questions targeting 4 key areas: (1) communication access to residents, (2) adverse effects of visiting restrictions on residents and relatives, (3) potential protective effect of visiting restrictions, (4) important aspects for relatives during and after visiting restrictions.

Results: Satisfaction of communication access to nursing home residents was highest when respondents had the possibility to communicate with nursing home residents by nurses informing them via telephone, contact behind glass, and contact outside maintaining physical distance. Satisfaction rates increased when respondents had multiple opportunities to stay in contact with residents. Respondents were concerned that residents had increased loneliness (76%), sadness (66%), and decreased quality of life (62%), whereas study respondents reported personal sadness (73%) and fear (26%). There was no consensus among respondents if adverse effects of the visiting restrictions outweighed the protective effect for nursing home residents. Respondents expressed the need for increased information, communication options, and better safety protocols.

Conclusion and implications: Providing multiple opportunities to stay in touch with nursing home residents can increase satisfaction of communication between residents and relatives. Increased context-specific information, communication options, and safety protocols should be addressed in national health policy.