Table 1.

The barriers likely to hinder the family presence in the ICU can be overcome by specific strategies

	Barriers to ICU visits	Strategies for implementation
Clinical	Risk of the relatives’ infection when entering CoViD-19 ICUs	Adequate donning and doffing protocols
	Risk of patients’ infection in COVID-free critically ill patients	Screening of family members and visitors before visit
	Inadequate or incomplete PPE employment	Clear instructions and supervision
	Physical discomfort of the visiting family member	Preventive instructions and staff availability
Cultural	Family visits are not a priority for the staff	ICU staff debriefing on family needs and requests
	Lack of motivation and fatigue of staff members	Adequate staff knowledge regarding opening benefits
	Fear of other opportunistic infections brought by families	Literature evidence demonstrating this is not an issue
	Concern of legal consequences in case of visitors’ infection	Informed consent gaining prior to visit
Logistical	Shortage of PPE	If persisting, visits are NOT permitted
	Limited staff availability, time constraints	Extra staff, skilled volunteers
	Lack of protocols/rules	Drafting of hospital/regional shared protocols
	Suboptimal/inadequate space due to surge of ICU admission	Temporary restriction on opening hours and number of visitors