ICU visiting hours

[livingkennedy]

I'm curious about visiting hours in the ICU's of other hospitals - if yours have them, what they are, and how they are enforced. I work in a particular part of the country where we have to have very limited visiting hours. The culture here is such that everyone wants to bring 20 members of their family in at one time and they want to be there all the time - it's very difficult to take care of your patient in such an environment, and many of the people in this area find that difficult to understand in such a stressing time. Many of the ICU's in this area have locked doors as well. I'd like to hear other's takes on visiting hours and the enforcement of the hours.

Thanks,

-J

[Smackdown]

Hello,

I live in Texas and in our ICU our visiting hours are from 10am -12pm 3 -5pm and 8 - 10pm. We also have many families (usually from a specific background) who want to bring grandma, mom, Uncle Bob, cousin and all the little babies in with the at the same time to see grandpa. We only allow 2 -3 people at the bedside at a time, especially if the patient is a full code and we might have to access them quickly. We try to encourage families to keep their little ones out of the ICU as much as possible for their own health. I am all for family visiting the patient, but it is an ICU and most of the patients are very sick and need quiet and rest.

[AnthonyD]

The ICU I work in has 24hr visiting hours, but we limit to maximum of 2 vistiors at a time per patient (except in extenuating circumstances like withdrawing care, etc. where we allow the whole family in the room).

The unit is locked, so it's fairly easy to control the number of visitors.

We also close the unit to visitors during codes, or if we are extremely busy.

[NeosynephRN]

We have open visiting and unlocked unit. I keep my patients to 2 visitors at a time, except for special circumstances. But alot of my fellow nurses let a bunch in all the time. Drives me nuts...in the room eating and drinking in front of our patient..NPO...or on the vent, but unsedated. uggghhh

[lucky1RN]

I'm in the semi-rural south. Our unit is locked, we allow 2 adult visitors at a time (no one under 12), and we have 30 minute visitation periods every 2-3 hours. These are the rules but the nurses have discretion to modify PRN i.e. pt dying, pt crawling out of bed (confusion), prayer circles, etc.

[AnthonyD]

I'm in the semi-rural south. Our unit is locked, we allow 2 adult visitors at a time (no one under 12), and we have 30 minute visitation periods every 2-3 hours. These are the rules but the nurses have discretion to modify PRN i.e. pt dying, pt crawling out of bed (confusion), prayer circles, etc.

That's a good point. We also don't allow anyone under 12, and the nurses have the final say whether their patients can have visitors or not, depending on what's going on. We also try to limit visitors during morning rounds and during shift change report (due to HIPAA considerations).

[elizabells, BSN, RN]

Totally, completely, 100% open. Oh, in THEORY I have the power to limit it to 2 at the bedside, parents/gparents only after 8pm, and nobody at the bedside during shift report. But when fewer than half of the nurses on my unit enforce these rules, I get tired of looking like the mean nurse.

[ilstu99]

In the NICU - any/both biological parent 24/7 except for the 30 minutes for shift change on either side. For the non-critical babies, we allow a crowd for the first couple of visits, so they can get it out of their system. After that, we allow 2 at the bedside. For the critical babies, no more than 2 - ever. Siblings over 4 and under 14 for 10 minutes per hour. No other children under 14 are allowed.

ICU - parents/children or significant other 24/7 except for shift changes, limited to 2. From 8a-8p they allow 2 non-immediate family for 10 minutes every 2 hours. No children under 6.

Never, EVER any food or beverages allowed in either unit.