[NeuroICURN]

Ok all you ICU nurses, I need your input!

Yesterday at a staff meeting, the issue of visiting hours came up. Currently, our visiting hours are 1030-1100, 1330-1400 and 1800-1830. (Also, keep in mind, we're Neurosurg.) Now they're talking about making open visiting, with the exception of shift changes and doctor rounding time.

I think this could be disasterous! I can't imagine having open visiting in an ICU that's open! I mean you'd have people in and out all the time. My manager says we're not doing it yet, but states that maybe we should try it, before they make us do it! I have to say I'm not crazy about the idea!

Also, we're a NEURO unit! These people need decreased stimulation! It's bad enough that these pt's have to endure three half-hour visiting of family screaming "squeeze my hand, open your eyes, etc.".....but to have it more!!??!!?? Uh, I think I'd have to slit my wrists too!

Let me know what your visiting hours are and what you think of open visiting!

Thanks!

[K O'Malley]

I think that open visiting for a neuro ICU is insane! I have had neuro pts who would seize when stimulated. Sheesh! This customer service thing has gone over the top!

[DeniseRNBSN]

Our neuro-ICU is the guinea pig for our entire trauma center. Open visitation 24 hours, with the exception of shift change.

None of the nurses agree with it because we are a NEURO-ICU. Most of our patients can't be stimulated in any way. But tell that to management.

Hopefully they change that policy soon...

[my2sons]

Our SICU (we take neurosurg) is open for visitors 9am-9pm, approved by nursing administrators 1 year ago despite overwhelming resistance from nurses who were acting in the patient's best interests. All it took was one CT surgeon to go to administration complaining that the families were "bugging him" during his rounds and now they are considering scaling back visiting hours again. Just another thing that makes me go hmmmmm.

[TraumaQueen]

Ah, I'm so grateful for our medical director.

We have 4 visitations of 30 minutes each, and depending on the situation with a particular patient, we might let a family member stay in to keep them calm, if that's what works. And, we sometimes get pediatric traumas, and we tend to let them be in the room as often as they need to be.

How can you get anything done with family members constantly asking you to swab out a mouth, or this or that.....

[nurse lucky]

We used to have strict hours, but now it's a free for all. No visiting or phone calls from 7-830, 15-1630,1930-2000,23-2400 as these are change of shift. Rarely do visitors abide. When you try to enforce, you are met with, "I'm the wife, etc" , or you get reported for being mean or "worse" I don't understand why people let the hearts rest, but they are determined to wake mom up from her coma. Never mind her climbing ICP's. They eat in the room, sleep in the bed, watch tv, talk on the phone. UGH!!! They object to leaving the room for cares. I usually respond that your father, friend, neighbor, whatever would be mortified if you sat in the bathroom with him, so please give him the dignity and leave the room. Nurses are cringing and cowering and get no support from management. Do not loose control of your hours!!!

I want to scream "GET OUT OF MY ROOM AND STOP POKING YOUR DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[my2sons]

I'm all for 24 hour visitation.

But only if we can medicate the families!

[Renee' Y-Y]

Open visitation is not as bad as you think it might be...if it's done correctly. It can't be a free-for-all. The doors are kept locked & visitors have to call in & get permission to come in & visit. Also, in my experience, visitation was still limited to 15 minutes or so...no more than 2 at the bedside...code in the unit - everybody out...physicians making rounds - everybody out. Also, with open visitation, you can actually have a little more control over when you do procedures...if you are busy when a visitor calls, you just tell 'em "no"...and let them know when you are done. Since there aren't set hours, you don't get abuse from family members when procedures run into some of their visiting time. I, personally, didn't mind open visitation. I know many critical care nurses would rather have no visitors at all...if it was up to them...(I'm an old critical care nurse.) Also, visitors need to have a brochure that spells all of this out, so they don't get the impression - "open visitation - I get to hang out as much and for as long as I want" which you absolutely don't want to have happen.

[Moonepie]

Our visiting hours are 11-11:30; 2-3; 6-6:30. But our administrators are also thinking of going to open visiting hours. I really don't know how this will work out. I'm actually dreading it should it become the new rule. Even if the family members have to call each time, that's still time taken away to answer the phone to allow them to come it etc...if this occurs each hour, I would tend to think that it adds up. I'm so busy I barely have time to eat lunch. Having open visiting hours will surely add on more work to the already exhausting work I already have, because with the open visiting hours, I'd have to run around catering to the family's every request. Many times I have family members who come in and want you to explain every little thing you're doing which of course they have every right to ask, but if it were to go on all day, I can't imagine getting a lot done. I'm really wondering who the open visitation hours are for...the patient or the family members. I don't see how the patient is gaining if everyone wants to come in to wake them up every hour, or all day (if that's the case), touch them, pick at them, clean them (which we do anyway, but somehow it never seems to be enough). And not only do the family members keep them up, but we as nurses do also when we are giving our care to the; so essentially, I don't think the patient will get any decent rest if we allow the open visitation. I believe that having family support and presence aids in the healing process, but I think it can also be overdone and too much. I have never worked in a place with open visitation, so I may be wrong in my thinking. If we do change our visiting hours, I may actually find it to be okay. I don't know. We'll see.

[babyboomer47]

Originally Posted by NeuroICURN

Ok all you ICU nurses, I need your input!

Yesterday at a staff meeting, the issue of visiting hours came up. Currently, our visiting hours are 1030-1100, 1330-1400 and 1800-1830. (Also, keep in mind, we're Neurosurg.) Now they're talking about making open visiting, with the exception of shift changes and doctor rounding time.

I think this could be disasterous! I can't imagine having open visiting in an ICU that's open! I mean you'd have people in and out all the time. My manager says we're not doing it yet, but states that maybe we should try it, before they make us do it! I have to say I'm not crazy about the idea!

Also, we're a NEURO unit! These people need decreased stimulation! It's bad enough that these pt's have to endure three half-hour visiting of family screaming "squeeze my hand, open your eyes, etc.".....but to have it more!!??!!?? Uh, I think I'd have to slit my wrists too!

Let me know what your visiting hours are and what you think of open visiting!

Thanks!

i work in a 32 bed med surg icu. we have had "open" visiting for about 2 years. we are currently looking to somehow modify from the free for all approach to some modified version of the open hours visitation. why? difficult teaching/learning environment (families misinterpret things said in rounds), hippa(people say they are family and are informed and are not), constant distraction for rn(med errors...), frequently the family needs far outweigh the needs of the patient leading to decreased quality/time spent delivering direct patient care, families "camp out" sometimes literally in the room (no space for rn to work), overstimulate the patients who need less frequent to little stimulation(agitated/tachypnic/labile/vented/sedated pt), and the list goes on and on and on... and by the way it makes the rn's qu
ality of worklife frequently a nightmare. best of luck