Not closing to siblings?!?!?!??

Specialties NICU

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Specializes in MSN, FNP-BC.

So our management has decided not to close our unit during RSV season this year. None of this was communicated to us. It was an executive decision that was made from the higher ups because of "satisfaction scores". Does anyone else stay open during flu season? We have already had two babies who have come sick with rhinovirus.

This concerns me because these colds could easily kill our patient population and once it starts coming in, it's hard to get rid of. I don't feel this is safe for our babies at all.

I'm frustrated because management didn't come out and tell us themselves, it's been passed down to charge nurses to tell us. I feel like we as nurses have no place to voice our concerns about this decision.

I feel like whoever made this decision could care less about our patients and are more worried about making families happy rather than keeping our patients safe. It concerns me that we are trying for magnet status which is supposed to indicate nursing care but yet nurses have no voices when it comes to patient issues such as this.

Thanks for letting me vent. Any advice on how to deal with this or voice my concerns to management?

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

I don't work in NICU, but I do find an all or nothing ban a bit excessive. Sibling has the sniffles, a runny nose, a cough? Sure, tell the parents he/she isn't allowed to visit. But a child who is symptom free and healthy? Why should they be banned because apparently some parents can't tell when sick children need to stay home and not visit someone in the hospital?

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Specializes in NICU.

Our NICU never allows siblings. Parents and grandparents only with only two visitors at the bedside at that. During flu season, we are usually closed to grandparents as well. There are a couple of reasons for that. One, a child may be asymptomatic but carry in a virus. Two, we're a small open unit, it gets loud quickly with increasing amount of people.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

If some baby gets a virus and dies (not an unlikely scenario), bring on the lawyers. Not a good thing. Check w/other units in town; what are they doing? If they are closing for flu season, you can cite community standard. Especially if the local Childrens' Hospital is closing.

This is a risk management issue, not a public relations issue. Administration needs to understand this. (Good luck w/that, btw)

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Specializes in Pediatrics, NICU.

Ours hasn't closed to siblings yet this year either! It's horrible because families keep bringing their coughing and sneezing young children and get super nasty when we tell them that no one sick is allowed in! Bring on the respiratory screens every time a baby starts to sound stuffy or look a little sick. :(

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Specializes in LTC and Pediatrics.

I would think one would want to keep all of those viruses out. These tiny babies don't have the immune system term ones have. My grandson was born in Jan., came home in April and the next winter, my daughter made sure she kept her son away from others. Well, she was also not letting people touch him much for the first year of his life for that reason.

What kind of parent education do you have in place regarding this issue for your parents? Something that they could be educated early on and at various times throughout the time they are there. Since parents are expecting to bring the siblings in, they seem to have the view that the littlest one has the more mature immune system that the older ones had at birth.

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Specializes in MSN, FNP-BC.
If some baby gets a virus and dies (not an unlikely scenario), bring on the lawyers. Not a good thing. Check w/other units in town; what are they doing? If they are closing for flu season, you can cite community standard. Especially if the local Childrens' Hospital is closing.

This is a risk management issue, not a public relations issue. Administration needs to understand this. (Good luck w/that, btw)

The problem is that we are the local children's hospital. Smh.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

@aerorunner---oh, dear. Do you have an Infection Control Practitioner? Can you use that resource?

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

Our hospital policy is to close to sibs only when they get flu and RSV cases coming into the clinics or admitted to the floors. Flawed idea, but that is what the uppers decided.

We only closed to other visitors when there has been an "epidemic" like H1N1.

I get so tired of policing people and their illnesses.

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Specializes in Level 3 NICU 17 yrs, Neo transport 13 yr.

During flu season, We close to all visitors under 16 years of age. We recently had a mother come in that "wasn't feeling the best" and now her infant has rhinovirus. The only thing that keeps the adults out is a temp and then maybe some common sense here and there.

Our normal visitation allows siblings age 3 and above and anyone else on the parents list above 16 yo

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We usually put a restriction on siblings by age during flu season but wait until the county health department tell us to do that based on an uptick in flu cases. Flu season so far this year has been mild so we are still allowing siblings of a certain age to come in to the unit for visits.

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Specializes in NICU; Mother-Baby.

We do not have sibling visitation at all. I work in a small Level III unit.

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