Mental health impacts of family members isolated from patients in the ICU during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic

With complete saturation of our media, and our very social interactions, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has made most of us more aware of viruses and transmission than we had ever previously been. The integral purpose of hand hygiene in virus control, the role of early detection and containment, and the havoc that can be wreaked economically, emotionally, and physically by a virus are now engrained on our collective understandings. Engrained too has become the role of the intensive care units (ICU) in our hospital systems and the limited space available to administer this level of high-needs support to patients.