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The Difficult Balance between Ensuring the Right of Nursing Home Residents to Communication and Their Safety

Author

Listed:
  • Matteo Bolcato

    (Legal Medicine, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, via G. Falloppio 50, 35121 Padua, Italy)

  • Marco Trabucco Aurilio

    (Department of Medicine and Health Sciences “V. Tiberio,” University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy)

  • Giulio Di Mizio

    (Forensic Medicine, Department of Law, “Magna Graecia” University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy)

  • Andrea Piccioni

    (Department of Emergency Medicine, Gemelli, IRCCS (Scientific Institute for Hospitalization and Treatment), Catholic University of Rome-Teaching Hospital Foundation A, 00168 Rome, Italy)

  • Alessandro Feola

    (Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, via Luciano Armanni 5, 80138 Naples, Italy)

  • Alessandro Bonsignore

    (Department of Health Sciences, Section of Legal and Forensic Medicine, University of Genova, 16126 Genova, Italy)

  • Camilla Tettamanti

    (Department of Health Sciences, Section of Legal and Forensic Medicine, University of Genova, 16126 Genova, Italy)

  • Rosagemma Ciliberti

    (Department of Health Sciences, Section of History of Medicine and Bioethics, University of Genova, 16126 Genova, Italy)

  • Daniele Rodriguez

    (Legal Medicine, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, via G. Falloppio 50, 35121 Padua, Italy)

  • Anna Aprile

    (Legal Medicine, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, via G. Falloppio 50, 35121 Padua, Italy)

Abstract

The COVID-19 epidemic has had a profound impact on healthcare systems worldwide. The number of infections in nursing homes for the elderly particularly is significantly high, with a high mortality rate as a result. In order to contain infection risks for both residents and employees of such facilities, the Italian government passed emergency legislation during the initial stages of the pandemic to restrict outside visitor access. On 30 November 2020, the Italian President of the Council of Ministers issued a new decree recognizing the social and emotional value of visits to patients from family and friends. In addition, it indicated prevention measures for the purposes of containing the infection risk within nursing homes for the elderly. This article comments on these new legislative provisions from the medicolegal perspective, providing indications that can be used in clinical practice.

Suggested Citation

  • Matteo Bolcato & Marco Trabucco Aurilio & Giulio Di Mizio & Andrea Piccioni & Alessandro Feola & Alessandro Bonsignore & Camilla Tettamanti & Rosagemma Ciliberti & Daniele Rodriguez & Anna Aprile, 2021. "The Difficult Balance between Ensuring the Right of Nursing Home Residents to Communication and Their Safety," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-11, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:5:p:2484-:d:509481
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Patricia M. Davidson & Sarah L. Szanton, 2020. "Nursing homes and COVID‐19: We can and should do better," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(15-16), pages 2758-2759, August.
    2. Gerst-Emerson, K. & Jayawardhana, J., 2015. "Loneliness as a public health issue: The impact of loneliness on health care utilization among older adults," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(5), pages 1013-1019.
    3. Albert Nienhaus & Rozita Hod, 2020. "COVID-19 among Health Workers in Germany and Malaysia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-10, July.
    4. Matteo Bolcato & Daniele Rodriguez & Anna Aprile, 2020. "Risk Management in the New Frontier of Professional Liability for Nosocomial Infection: Review of the Literature on Mycobacterium Chimaera," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-14, October.
    5. Luca Coppeta & Giuseppina Somma & Lorenzo Ippoliti & Cristiana Ferrari & Iacopo D’Alessandro & Antonio Pietroiusti & Marco Trabucco Aurilio, 2020. "Contact Screening for Healthcare Workers Exposed to Patients with COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-7, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lucia Cazzoletti & Maria Elisabetta Zanolin & Ilaria Tocco Tussardi & Mulubirhan Assefa Alemayohu & Ernesto Zanetel & Donatella Visentin & Luca Fabbri & Massimo Giordani & Giancarlo Ruscitti & Pier Pa, 2021. "Risk Factors Associated with Nursing Home COVID-19 Outbreaks: A Retrospective Cohort Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-17, August.
    2. Nicola Cornally & Caroline Kilty & Catherine Buckley & Rónán O’Caoimh & Mark R. O’Donovan & Margaret P. Monahan & Caroline Dalton O’Connor & Serena Fitzgerald & Irene Hartigan, 2022. "The Experience of COVID-19 Visitor Restrictions among Families of People Living in Long-Term Residential Care Facilities during the First Wave of the Pandemic in Ireland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-14, May.
    3. Ekaterina A. Shashina & Valentina V. Makarova & Denis V. Shcherbakov & Tatiana S. Isiutina-Fedotkova & Nadezhda N. Zabroda & Nina A. Ermakova & Anton Yu. Skopin & Oleg V. Mitrokhin, 2021. "Use of Respiratory Protection Devices by Medical Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-12, May.
    4. Clara Cestonaro & Anna Aprile & Matteo Bolcato & Daniele Rodriguez & Alessandro Feola & Giulio Di Mizio, 2021. "Pharmacological Abortion in a Pandemic: An Italian Medico-Legal Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-10, November.
    5. Raffaele La Russa & Stefano Ferracuti, 2022. "Clinical Risk Management: As Modern Tool for Prevention and Management of Care and Prevention Occupational Risk," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-2, January.
    6. Ryuichi Ohta & Yoshinori Ryu & Chiaki Sano, 2021. "Effects of Implementation of Infection Control Measures against COVID-19 on the Condition of Japanese Rural Nursing Homes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-9, May.

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