Patient Experience on a Hospital Oncology Service Before and After Implementation of a No-Visitor Policy During COVID-19. (27th July 2021) - Bolton, Kenyon C.
Hospital visitor restriction policies prompted by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) may lead to a less comfortable or informed inpatient experience for oncology patients admitted for non-COVID-19 conditions. We surveyed oncology inpatients before (n = 47) and after (n = 65) implementation of a no-visitor policy using a validated questionnaire to measure patient experience. Results revealed no significant difference in the percentage of patients reporting "no problems" ( P < .05) in all questions. Patient experience was not adversely impacted by visitor restrictions enacted in response to COVID-19 on an oncology service, as measured by a questionnaire capturing common concerns among inpatients.