Table 1.

Comparison of in-person contact during COVID-19 pandemic

	No in-person contact	In-person contact
Advantages	Eliminates exposure and cross-contamination between patient, family and staff Conserves personal protective equipment Requires less staff coordination and time Unburdens family and staff of decision-making responsibilities regarding contact Relieves family of ambivalence, guilt and fear associated with potential exposure during contact with patient	Provides comfort, security and combats realities of dying unaccompanied by loved one Reduces the number of times staff member may need to enter the room requiring donning/doffing, thus conserving personal protective equipment Permits private shared moments of mourning and parting words/gestures of good-bye Enables cultural/religious rituals associated with dying and death Promotes healthy grief response and bereavement trajectory for family Mitigates family/staff immediate and post-traumatic stress
Disadvantages	Denies opportunity for potential comfort, security and accompaniment by loved one during the dying process Complicates family involvement in end-of-life decision-making Denies family private time with dying patient Interferes with fulfillment of perceived responsibilities and duties to the dying family member Disrupts cultural/religious rituals associated with dying and death Derails grief response and bereavement trajectory [10] Degrades the sanctity of dying (with virtual contact) Amplifies possibilities for family-staff disagreement, tension and conflict Limits family/staff end-of-life shared experience	Engenders patient distress/ambivalence regarding putting family members at risk for infection Increases exposure and cross-contamination between patient, family and staff Requires health screening and testing Requires usage of personal protective equipment Requires increased logistical support, staff education, coordination with family and resources Engenders stress, guilt, disagreement amongst family since decisions need to be made regarding patient contact Amplifies possibilities for family-staff disagreement, tension and conflict Engenders staff discomfort or stress in interacting with family who may be viewed as additional focus of intervention and responsibility