ONLINE FAMILY MEETINGS

A SIGNIFICANT CARE RESOURCE DURING THE PANDEMIC

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic started in December 2019 and, due to its high degree of transmissibility, demanded a new organization of health services, which resulted in the incorporation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the healthcare routine, requiring several adaptations. Therefore, this paper intends to report the experience of a health team with family conferences via ICTs in a hospital in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic between March and July of 2020, understanding it as a health intervention focused on communication and shared decision making. In sum, the ICT-mediated family conference was shown to be a fundamental element in maintaining bonds and assisting the family of hospitalised patients during the period of rigid social isolation. However, considering the complications inherent to the dependence of technological resources, we emphasise the importance of prior planning - in which preparation for the unpredictable is considered - an investigation of available technology resources and an focus on the development of bonds between team-family-patient.