How many visitors in the ED?

Specialties Emergency

Published

I am looking for visitor policies or guidelines that are used in your emergency departments. We are currently being asked to relook at our visitation guidelines. Over the years we have gone trough many different phases from one only to open door. We want to do the best thing for the patients/families while keeping staff members safe. How are you all handling visitors for adults as well as for children?

Specializes in ER,Neurology, Endocrinology, Pulmonology.

We have no policy on number of visitors. My personal take is that I really like having family around and I don't mind if there are more than 2 , even if sometimes they can make it difficult to care for my patients.

In our ER as along as staff and family have an understanding that pt needs rest and staff need access to their bedside, things usually run very smoothly.

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Specializes in Hospice, ER.

Our policy is one at the bedside. In special circumstances, maybe two. Security regularly goes thru the ER and clears everyone out. Sometimes we have to call security to eject visitors who won't leave or who carry on. Usually their family member isn't that sick, if they were that sick we'd let them stay. It's pretty hard to provide care when you're tripping over family members, not to mention those who practice unlicensed bedside nursing/doctoring. But that's for another post.:bugeyes:

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Specializes in ER/SICU/Med-Surg/Ortho/Trauma/Flight.

We only allow 2 also, and 2 with peds, 1 with criticals at a time and they are not allowed to come back for 30 minutes if ems brought there loved one or they are a chest pain or critical and we have to stabilize them, I work in a massive level 1 trauma center and were always packed, so there isnt that much room.

I also agree about the unlicensed family nursing/doctoring it drives me up a wall.

For example the other day I had this nice old grandma with you guessed it the granddaughter from hell. Anyway I walk in the room to start her IV and give her demerol for kidney stones, and little ms.priss tells me that shes a BSN student at my hospitals school of nursing and were going to run the show how she wants it done, Im like ok, then she proceeds to tell me that she will start the Iv and push the med. whether I like it or not, well I said oh really, well how bout this im a BSN Im also the supervisor, and if you dont leave then Ill have security help you leave, well she left thank god!!!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in ER.

Ours is as many as want to come in - no limit - customer satisfaction is our motto. :saint:

Let me put this out there...I don't want to start anything ..... but ......:uhoh3:

has anyone else noticed that the problem with overcrowding is much worse with a lower socioeconomic population. Along with that (in general) there tends to be a lower education level - and when these two are combined translates into an over crowding issue in the ER :twocents:

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Specializes in ED staff.

The book says 2 at a time but because no one ever enforces it there may be 10 in a room with a patient. They also allow the whole family in during a code, so they can see that we did everything we could.

I am the triage nurse, I have a tiny office, so tiny that I can't get a large wheelchair in there and 7 people wanna come in with Meemaw. I'll say 2 immediate family members onky they look at me like a small child I took candy away from.

But really, can you imagine going anywhere else and having that many people come in with you? The bank would never allow that many people in to your deposit box with you. If you and 7 of your friends went shopping, the Gap won't let 7 people in your dressing room. If you go to the dentist, you don't bring your mom, dad, aunts and uncles just to be sure you're gonna be OK.

I would like no visitors until after all the work is done, then you can have as many as you want.

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Specializes in ER.

Our policy is 2 or per RN's discretion; for example, more than 2 for dying pt, 0 visitors for the drunk a-holes unless it is their sober ride.

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We have no policy on number of visitors. My personal take is that I really like having family around and I don't mind if there are more than 2 , even if sometimes they can make it difficult to care for my patients.

In our ER as along as staff and family have an understanding that pt needs rest and staff need access to their bedside, things usually run very smoothly.

If only all our ERs could be in this perfect world of harmony between visitors and staff....

But back to reality..."excuse me, pardon me, I'm just trying to reach the Lifepak and the hands-free paddles, I hope you don't mind if I step in and try to save your loved one"

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Theyre FINALLY going to implement 2 visitors at the bedside NO ONE under 12 (visitors that is)

Cant wait

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Specializes in TraumaER ,NICUx2days, HEMEONC CathLab IV.

today I opened the door to attempt to give Morphine IV. 8 family, friends, neighbors were in the room. I could not get to the bedside. I interrupted their time to visit. the nerve of me. I stated, when you are through visiting let me know so I can give the medications.

Last week, Marie the charge nurse opened the front door and announced to the waiting room, anyone that wants to visit come on back, the door is open. Everyone back come on in free cola for everyone.

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Our official policy is two per bedside. Management's view however is they can all come back. Our docs like to assess their patient's with no family there so the nurses go with their requests primarily. I ask family nicely if they can give me a few minutes, if they object strongly I say whatever. Then when I'm asking about bowel movements and periods etc.. oh well.. so much for privacy. I will clear a bay if we are doing procedures with other patients that are embarrassing or take up space, ie: soap suds, vag exams etc.. It's bad enough having other patients on the other side of the curtain much less visitors. I love when you have a code and other patient's visitors are standing in the hall trying to see everything. I have no qualms putting in their place, back to the waiting room.

My biggest pet peeve is visitors moving their chairs into the pathway to the other beds in the room. Visitors asking for another pillow for gran while we are working a code in the next cubicle. Interrupting me while I'm trying to speak to the patient, it's all about them (the visitor). Dad's hoovering over teenage daughter's when I need to assess if they could be pregnant or not.

We will never be popular in the eyes of visitors because they are pretty clueless to what nurses do unless they are frequent fliers. Those are the one's that really burn me up. They already know the process and still get in your way.

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our er is a small critical access facility with 7 beds, 2 nurses and 1 doc. we only allow 1 visitor with adults and maybe 2 with peds. we simply do not have the room and/or the people to play all the games the visitors want to play. they are not playing games. they are stressed out, scared human beings.

of course we usually get at least 1 nastygram a week in regards to our visitor policy. fortunately for us our manager also works along beside us, and doesn't just push paper. this and one of our docs is the medical director for the facility, so these nastygrams usually get chuckled at and deposited in the proper plastic bag lined file.

do they get a response and some consoling words or do you guys just laugh at these hurting people? i know they're a pain in the neck but can't you relate to them? what if you were kept away from your loved one, consigned to the waiting room? walk a mile in their shoes, cccnurse. :crying2:

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The book says 2 at a time but because no one ever enforces it there may be 10 in a room with a patient. They also allow the whole family in during a code, so they can see that we did everything we could.

I am the triage nurse, I have a tiny office, so tiny that I can't get a large wheelchair in there and 7 people wanna come in with Meemaw. I'll say 2 immediate family members onky they look at me like a small child I took candy away from.

But really, can you imagine going anywhere else and having that many people come in with you? The bank would never allow that many people in to your deposit box with you. If you and 7 of your friends went shopping, the Gap won't let 7 people in your dressing room. If you go to the dentist, you don't bring your mom, dad, aunts and uncles just to be sure you're gonna be OK.

I would like no visitors until after all the work is done, then you can have as many as you want.

I see your point about the Gap, etc. But the mindset, of course, is different. And I think if you said you wanted someone with you at the safe deposit box, they'd follow your wishes. I think.

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