Total Disregard for Visiting Hours

Nurses Relations

Published

You are reading page 7 of Total Disregard for Visiting Hours

Sehille4774

236 Posts

I know, right? I was unaware that this was Linked In and I have to carry on as a professional with my name and resume attached. It's like being on one of those "vent threads" and someone new to the forum comes along with all of their righteous indignation about how meaaaaaan we all are and any of us who have any remotely inartfully worded statement expressing frustration with our jobs, patients, visitors, etc "don't DESERVE to be nurses!"

Yeah..well. Not everyone has to be the same as you redhead. How bout live and let live? If i feel most comfortable conducting myself in a professional manner and ENJOY making a difference...why should I feel bullied into conforming your attitudes and behavior or else Get crucified for being too Niiiice?

DYLANB

10 Posts

Interesting that you have used my user name at the end of your response!

Your initial post did not indicate you were "tolerating abuse". That is another thread altogether.How did you feel the family members abused you?

I thought it was clever.

You're right, I didn't indicate directly in my initial post that I and other nurses had experienced abuse by family members starting with blatant disregard for hospital policy. Others in this thread seemed to have understood where I was going with my first post. I have read numerous posts on this thread of outlandish requests from family, rude and nasty behavior, feelings of entitlement, intimidation etc... which in my opinion are forms of abuse. But you're right again, that is good jumping off point for another thread altogether.

Poochiewoochie

178 Posts

I have and the last thing I want is my family hanging around 24/7. I've found they can be quite stressful so I prefer the short quick visits. Same goes for surgery-I don't need you hanging around during the pre op or post op period because stupid comments just cause me stress. If it's outpatient I call them right before I am discharged. Inpatient you can visit for a short period after surgery but then goodbye. I need my rest.

Especially if it's a person who feel it's their "duty" or "obligation" to visit for the sake of appearances. They don't really want to be there so they spend their time pacing like a caged animal. Go home-you make me nervous.

Poochiewoochie

178 Posts

I personally hate having a bunch of family members in the room watching me like a hawk.

This is not about you ...or how you feel about "a bunch of family members " making YOU feel uncomfortable! This is about patient care.. NOT YOU!

Yes it is about patient care and from a patient's standpoint I want my nurse focused when she is doing care. If my family members are in the room and making her uncomfortable I have no problem with her asking them to step out side while she does it.

DoGoodThenGo

4,129 Posts

One of the most beautiful sounds of those who worked evenings back in the day were those five words coming over the PA system at 8PM

"Attention, visiting hours are now over". Bum's rush in melody! *LOL*

It meant nursing staff could start going around and give gentle nudges, however by 8:15 or 8:30 the message got stronger for those whom didn't take the hint. Only exceptions were sometimes in peds and or if someone was near death and it was felt the patient wasn't going to make it through the night.

DoGoodThenGo

4,129 Posts

I have and the last thing I want is my family hanging around 24/7. I've found they can be quite stressful so I prefer the short quick visits. Same goes for surgery-I don't need you hanging around during the pre op or post op period because stupid comments just cause me stress. If it's outpatient I call them right before I am discharged. Inpatient you can visit for a short period after surgery but then goodbye. I need my rest.

Especially if it's a person who feel it's their "duty" or "obligation" to visit for the sake of appearances. They don't really want to be there so they spend their time pacing like a caged animal. Go home-you make me nervous.

Do you mind if they eat your meals/snacks? I mean if you aren't going to have that ice cream.... *LOL*

Poochiewoochie

178 Posts

Do you mind if they eat your meals/snacks? I mean if you aren't going to have that ice cream.... *LOL*

I've only had one inpatient surgery and they weren't there during visiting hours. To tell the truth-I can only take my family for so long and then it's goodbye, see you when I get home. They are actually kind of embarrassing in a medical environment.

My Dad is the kind of patient you guys talk about on here a lot. The type that believes in two for one visits. If he goes to the hospital or doctor with someone in the family he loves to talk about his "problems". When I had a torn meniscus earlier this year and he was there as my ride at the pre-surgery clinic it was annoying. I had a collar on from my acdf surgery 8 weeks earlier and the nurse came out and started to talk to me. I asked her about anesthesia for my surgery and all of a sudden he starts in on what type of anesthesia he would get if he had knee replacement surgery. Then after the surgery after I had called him because I was ready to go home he spots my surgeon and just has to go over to ask him about knee replacement surgery. Whenever my Mom went to the doctor he was always trying to get advice at the same time for his "medical problems". I'm glad nurses don't like this because I think it's inappropriate and embarrassing. If he wants medical care make an appointment instead of using another person's appointment time.

He was so gung ho to have knee replacement surgery because he was in such pain from them. That changed though when he saw how much pain I was in after my torn meniscus surgery(and that was arthroscopic surgery). That surgery was more painful then the surgery to remove the herniated discs in my neck.

Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
Yeah..well. Not everyone has to be the same as you redhead. How bout live and let live? If i feel most comfortable conducting myself in a professional manner and ENJOY making a difference...why should I feel bullied into conforming your attitudes and behavior or else Get crucified for being too Niiiice?

I don't recall making reference to you or suggesting in any way that everyone has to be the same as anyone. That was my point, really. Be as professional as you feel like being. Have fun.

sjbrk

120 Posts

Specializes in ICU.
and when that doesn't work? when the roomie is going to complain if the visitors don't get the heck out?

You've got me there. The hospitals I have worked at have private rooms. Ya think there might a correlation between private rooms and no visiting hours?

BricMSN

10 Posts

I work in L&D, and there are certain families who think the labor process is a spectator sport. We sometimes have 10-15 people trying to cram into rooms. They want extra tables, chairs, food, televisions, cots, linens... The list goes on and on. I don't tolerate it in my labor rooms; we have four visitors, max, and I will ask everyone to step out if I need to perform any kind of invasive procedure that will expose the patient (lady partsl exam, Foley insertion, etc.). If the families don't like it I inform them that the patient's safety is my number one priority; if they are still problematic I call security and have them removed as a danger. It has gotten to the point that my colleagues are asking me for help in managing THEIR visitors--families making themselves comfortable in acute hospital settings is inappropriate, and nurses being afraid (or unsupported) to enforce safe standards is even worse!

Ruby Vee, BSN

17 Articles; 14,030 Posts

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Just curious to hear about other nurses experiences with the total disregard patient families have for visiting hours and hosptial policies. I have been a nurse now for 3 years and have split time between ICU and CVICU. Patient families skirt the rules all of the time and get away with it. Moreover, nurses I know have been reprimanded for inforcing policies set forth by the hospital after family memebrs complain to administration. I understand that since I work in critical care that that patient acuity is high and family memebrs are worried about the patients well being but, how are we as nurses expect to perform our jobs at the highest level if we can't care for the patient because 100 family memebrs wont stop asking the same questions over and over or crowd the room to the point we can't even see the patient? I sometimes feel that rules people normally follow in far less important situations go out the window when they eneter a hospital. You don't go behind the counter at McDonalds and watch them cook your hamburger or stand over the cashiers shoulder while they process your transaction. Why is this behavior allowed in the hospital setting?

Why is this behavior allowed in the hospital setting? It's the customer service mentality. The pendulum has swung too far, and eventually it will swing back.

What you can do about it now is find out about any actual rules your unit has: no food and drink in the rooms, no cell phones in the rooms, only two visitors at a time, visitors must remain fully clothed (oh yeah -- there's a story in there), use of isolation gear -- know what rules your unit has about visitors and enforce them consistently. Encourage other nurses to do the same. In my experience, it's not been the crusty old bats who have difficulty enforcing the rules; it's the newer nurses who just want their shift to go smoothly and get those good customer satisfaction scores. The thing is, when YOU let the visitors scoff at the rules on your shift, you set up the next nurse to be the "bad guy" when she tries to enforce them. Pretty soon, no rules are being enforced and you have no control over the visitors.

In ICU, especially, it's important to be able to get around the visitors and get to the patient's bed. If you can't do that, you can't properly care for the patient. So multiple visitors is a problem. If the rules say two visitors in the room at a time and the patient isn't actually dying peacefully, enforce the rule.

If your unit has no rules, bring it up at a staff meeting and see what your colleagues think.

It used to be considered poor manners for people to eat and drink in front of someone without offering them something. Yet I see visitors chowing down on fried chicken in the room of an NPO patient. Banish t hem to the waiting room until they've finished their meal, their big gulp or their Starbuck's. And yes, this counts even if Mom isn't NPO but Mom's roommate IS. No one who is NPO or nauseated needs to smell (and hear) someone chowing down a foot or two away. You WILL get push back. Live with it. It's about patient comfort, not family satisfaction.

+ Add a Comment