During the COVID-19 pandemic, visitor policy restrictions often resulted in patients dying without family present, increasing moral distress among which group?

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The key idea is moral distress among healthcare professionals. When visitor restrictions kept families from being with dying patients, clinicians faced a clash between what they believed would best honor patient and family needs (full, compassionate end-of-life care and good-bye moments) and the institutional rules aimed at infection control. This conflict can leave doctors, nurses, and other care team members feeling they cannot do what they think is right, leading to emotional and ethical strain known as moral distress.

This is why the correct choice is that these policies increased moral distress among healthcare professionals. While virtual visits offered some connection, they don’t fully substitute for in-person presence and the conversations, rituals, and support that families and clinicians would otherwise share. The other options miss the real impact: policies did affect end-of-life care, they did not eliminate dilemmas, and they didn’t necessarily improve family involvement in a way that prevented distress.