Psychological Symptoms and Families of COVID-19 Patients

Families of patients in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are at increased risk for developing psychological symptoms that can last for months after the patient is discharged. These symptoms can have significant impact on both the patient and family member's quality of life. The investigators have found that families of patients admitted to the Rush University Medical Center ICU during to the COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to develop clinically significant psychological symptoms than families of patients admitted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigators suspect that this finding is due in part to the hospital-wide no visitation policy that altered our standard communication practices and may have prevented families from being active participants in the patient's medical care. The goals of this project are 1) to determine the prevalence of psychological disorders among families of COVID-19 patients after ICU discharge 2) to determine the characteristics of ICU care that were associated with the development of psychological disorders among family members and 3) to pilot a program in which families with psychological disorders after ICU discharge receive therapy from mental health professionals.