ICU visiting hours

[txnurse2]

I would like to hear from everyone about their opinons about how visiting hours in the ICU should be handled. The hospital where I work has fairly open visiting all day long in the ICU except for a couple of hours centered around shift change. Families don't always adhere to that and I hear lots of negative comments from the nurses. So, what's your view?

[renerian, BSN, RN]

Speaking from a nurse perspective and as a family member who had to adhere to severly restricted ICU visiting hours , it stunk.....only up until the end when everyone finally believed me my mother was going to die, did they loosen up a little. She did die.

renerian

[Allison P]

Our visiting hours are 0600, 0900, 1200, 1500, 1800, and 2100. I work nights and I have no problen letting family in during the night if they ask. Many times it calms the pt. down to have someone familiar with them.

Our entire unit is pretty liberal about visiting hrs.(unless we have a problem going on)

Allison

[pollux, RN]

I agree with renarian, from being on both side of the bridge I feel family members should be allowed to be there at all time. It is a crisis moment in there lives and they need to be beside there love one at all time. Where I work, families are allowed to be there 24 hrs a day. Only in severe crisis, until we regain control, will they be set aside. Otherwise we believe pts recover better when a love one is beside them.