500 Burn Patient Recovery: Utilizing Virtual Connection During a Global Pandemic

Introduction Human connection is an essential element of healing for the burn survivor and their loved ones. The current global pandemic has created a barrier for in-person connection; hospitals nationwide have implemented visitor restrictions, which negatively impacts admitted patients. Our burn center integrated the use of video conferencing technology to increase connection amongst patients, loved ones, burn care team members, and burn survivors. We accomplished human interaction with our patients through virtual family meetings, peer support visits, and support groups. Methods Technology has been utilized in many different formats to help increase a patient’s connection with the outside world during the pandemic. Patient-centered family meetings were adapted to virtual formats and included the patient, the multidisciplinary burn care team, and the patient’s loved ones. We accomplished this by encouraging the patient’s family and the multidisciplinary team to join the meeting remotely, while the provider broadcasted from the patient room. In addition, the SOAR Peer Support group went entirely virtual, allowing survivors and peer supporters to attend and connect, despite in-person restrictions. Lastly, individual burn patient and SOAR visits were also adapted to the virtual platform. Results Video conferencing through a secured zoom platform was initiated in March 2020. From March 1, 2020 to September 24, 2020, 136 virtual family meetings were conducted, with an average of 4.5 family meetings per week. The quick adaptability to utilize technology allowed burn patients, loved ones, and burn care team members to continue to connect during times when those meetings would not have occurred. A virtual SOAR support group was held monthly, with an average of 3 attendees [2–6]. In this same time period, 14 SOAR Peer support individual meetings were conducted. Conclusions Despite the numerous challenges of a global pandemic, our Burn Center was able to proactively integrate technology to promote social connectedness. Utilization of technology allowed the burn multidisciplinary team to build trust with patients and their loved ones, offered invaluable patient-survivor relationships, and communicated the importance of social connection as an essential piece of burn recovery when our institution restricted visitors.

Determinants of family meetings in private family businesses

PurposeFamily governance mechanisms serve to govern and strengthen relations between the family and the business, as well as the relationships between the members of the business family itself. However, despite agreement on the importance of adopting family governance structures, explicit research on the determinants of family governance mechanisms is currently missing. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to uncover the determinants of family meetings. In order to do so, the social systems theory is used to unravel several determining factors of this crucial form of family governance mechanisms in private family firms.Design/methodology/approachThe authors perform a qualitative study by conducting semi-structured interviews in eight Belgian private family firms in order to discover the antecedents of the implementation of family meetings. The authors use a pattern-matching technique as an analytical strategy.FindingsThe findings of the study highlight the importance of “soft,” relational, qualitative issues as antecedents of family meetings as opposed to previous research on family governance, which predominantly focused on “hard,” quantitative measures (e.g. family ownership). The findings of the study also provide novel insights into the origins of the family component (i.e. family meetings) of family business governance.Originality/valueWhile the current literature has only focused on describing the different types of family governance and their positive consequences for the family firm, the authors take a step back to explain why family meetings, as a form of family governance, are adopted in the first place. Second, the authors demonstrate the instrumentality of the social systems theory in understanding the family's needs that necessitate the implementation of family governance mechanisms.