coronavirus pandemic to keep patients, staff and visitors safe and reduce the spread of COVID-19, hospitals across Canada instituted no visitor policies for all patients, unless there was a special circumstance.That means across the country tens of thousands of patients could not see their family members in person.
That is concerning as a lack of social interaction and isolation can have a negative impact on physical and mental health. Many patients turned to their smartphones, computers and tablets to connect with loved ones.
For some patients, a lack of access to that kind of technology led to more isolation.North York General Hospital (NYGH) in Toronto started its limited family presence policy on March 20.