Visiting Hours

ALCCRN · Jan 23, 2007

We have "green light visting" in our unit...As long as the green light is on visitors can come and go, but only 2-3 at a time. If it gets to crowded, we ask some to leave and if anything unexpected happens noone is allowed in. Also, the light is off everyday from 630am until 9am...and again 630pm until 9pm or so...until shift change is over and everyone is settled in...

LaRose · Jul 5, 2007

I think hospitals are supposed to furnish a place for employees to secure their possessions while working - it is part of employee safety.

KellySaraLynne · Jul 5, 2007

Our ICU has visiting time during the day but we try to clear everyone out around 9pm or so our patients can rest. I'm training on days right now, then I will be working nights, thank goodness! I am used to the units who have 15-20 min visiting times every other hour, its just different to get used to. I understand though, if it was my family member, I wouldnt want to leave either.

cjmue12 · Jul 5, 2007

We are also in the process of revamping our visiting policy. I have been told the stricter the rules, the harder they are to enforce. Our biggest rule is that we ask EVERY visitor to call every time they want to visit. Some do, and some we tell hundred times and they still walk in the unit. Our hospital prez will not even entertain ideas about a locked unit. So we are trying to at least change the hours, right now we are 24 hours a day. We would like a slot of time for report and assessments from 7-9 - am and pm. but then what if we get post ops at 6:30 and we need to get them settled in. Do we make the family who has waited all day wait until 9?? We also have problems with the college age kids when they come in as traumas, every kid in the school wants to visit. If he is on a vent, or not appropraie and oriented I think it should be immediate family only. But the parents dont seem to agree. Also one of the local hospitals has a block of 6 hours during the night where pts are left alone - no turning, no oral care etc. They actually get to sleep. Imagine that. The one thing we have learned is no matter what your rules, everyone (staff) must be consistant to enforce the rules. And if they dont there should be consequences. Nothing pisses me off more than when I come in at 7pm and try to enforce rules and the visitors say well we didnt have to do this all day. Or the nurse reporting off tells you the family wants to stay the night at the bedside but they were told its up to the night nurse. Now we're the ***** that says no. Its a big project for sure!!

BeckyKRN · Jul 15, 2007

I could go off on visiting hours for my unit all day long! We have a 24 hour visiting policy. Way to go, JHACO for making visitors "rights" a priority. We have a couple of problems every shift that I work. We are supposed to restrict it to 2 family members, but some nurses are "nice" to their pt's family members, then it gets hard to restrict other families saying, "they have 11 people in that room, why can't we?" I definately believe in the locked unit!

Kymmi · Jul 15, 2007

I learned something new alittle while ago and I dont think too many people esp visitors are aware of this but we had a lady who was on a vent and sedated therefore unable to speak for herself or know what was going on with her care so her daughter wanted to stay 24/7 at the bedside in order to supervise care. You here all the time in the news or in the papers about the state of healthcare. Just a few days ago I was watching The View and Barbara Walters made some comment about how you should always have a family member at the bedside because nurses are so busy and cant respond to call lights quickly at times (I dont remember her exact words but thats the way I took it)...anyway....this lady's daughter wanted to stay 24/7 and of course we attempted to enforce the visiting hours however she saw her attorney and next thing we know she's staying 24/7. Seems her attorney contacted whoever at the hospital and the outcome was told to us as the hospital is a public building and loved ones are patients in a hospital and it is next of kin's right to be with their loved ones to make sure of their safety in the event that they are unable to watch after and protect themselves. Basically they're saying that it is illegal to keep a family member from a patient while in the hospital. I dont know how true that is or if the hospital just caved in in this instance in order to avoid any possible legal issues but I think it'd be interesting to find out whether or not something like that would hold up in court if a hospital chose to strictly enforce visiting hours.

BeckyKRN · Jul 16, 2007

I do agree with having that one family member/friend help and stay in the room, but that is not the point I am trying to make. You make a very excellent point, however! All these friends and family members walking in/out of hallways, staring into other peoples rooms. My patients never feel they have the privacy. Some think the hallway is a congragational meeting hall. It just gets extremely frustrating.

Kymmi · Jul 16, 2007

Becky...I do understand your point and I totally agree. I see so many visitors gawking around....rarely do you see one walk in and not look in every room they pass while finding their way to their families room. I wasnt posting my last post in response to your post but just a general info post as to something interesting I had happen...I really dont know just how well that attorney claim would hold up because Im willing to bet there isnt a hospital out there that would enforce the visiting policy to that point.