ICU visiting hours

K O'Malley · Jan 31, 2004

I think that open visiting for a neuro ICU is insane! I have had neuro pts who would seize when stimulated. Sheesh! This customer service thing has gone over the top!

DeniseRNBSN · Feb 5, 2004

Our neuro-ICU is the guinea pig for our entire trauma center. Open visitation 24 hours, with the exception of shift change.

None of the nurses agree with it because we are a NEURO-ICU. Most of our patients can't be stimulated in any way. But tell that to management.

Hopefully they change that policy soon...

my2sons · Mar 2, 2004

Our SICU (we take neurosurg) is open for visitors 9am-9pm, approved by nursing administrators 1 year ago despite overwhelming resistance from nurses who were acting in the patient's best interests. All it took was one CT surgeon to go to administration complaining that the families were "bugging him" during his rounds and now they are considering scaling back visiting hours again. Just another thing that makes me go hmmmmm. :rolleyes:

TraumaQueen · Mar 2, 2004

Ah, I'm so grateful for our medical director.

We have 4 visitations of 30 minutes each, and depending on the situation with a particular patient, we might let a family member stay in to keep them calm, if that's what works. And, we sometimes get pediatric traumas, and we tend to let them be in the room as often as they need to be.

How can you get anything done with family members constantly asking you to swab out a mouth, or this or that.....

nurse lucky · Mar 5, 2004

We used to have strict hours, but now it's a free for all.:rotfl: No visiting or phone calls from 7-830, 15-1630,1930-2000,23-2400 as these are change of shift. Rarely do visitors abide. When you try to enforce, you are met with, "I'm the wife, etc" , or you get reported for being mean or "worse" I don't understand why people let the hearts rest, but they are determined to wake mom up from her coma. Never mind her climbing ICP's. They eat in the room, sleep in the bed, watch tv, talk on the phone. UGH!!! They object to leaving the room for cares. I usually respond that your father, friend, neighbor, whatever would be mortified if you sat in the bathroom with him, so please give him the dignity and leave the room. Nurses are cringing and cowering and get no support from management. Do not loose control of your hours!!!

:angryfire :nono: I want to scream "GET OUT OF MY ROOM AND STOP POKING YOUR DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

my2sons · Mar 5, 2004

I'm all for 24 hour visitation.

But only if we can medicate the families!:roll

Renee' Y-Y · Mar 5, 2004

Open visitation is not as bad as you think it might be...if it's done correctly. It can't be a free-for-all. The doors are kept locked & visitors have to call in & get permission to come in & visit. Also, in my experience, visitation was still limited to 15 minutes or so...no more than 2 at the bedside...code in the unit - everybody out...physicians making rounds - everybody out. Also, with open visitation, you can actually have a little more control over when you do procedures...if you are busy when a visitor calls, you just tell 'em "no"...and let them know when you are done. Since there aren't set hours, you don't get abuse from family members when procedures run into some of their visiting time. I, personally, didn't mind open visitation. I know many critical care nurses would rather have no visitors at all...if it was up to them...(I'm an old critical care nurse.) Also, visitors need to have a brochure that spells all of this out, so they don't get the impression - "open visitation - I get to hang out as much and for as long as I want" which you absolutely don't want to have happen.

Morguein · Mar 9, 2004

Our visiting hours are 11-11:30; 2-3; 6-6:30. But our administrators are also thinking of going to open visiting hours. I really don't know how this will work out. I'm actually dreading it should it become the new rule. Even if the family members have to call each time, that's still time taken away to answer the phone to allow them to come it etc...if this occurs each hour, I would tend to think that it adds up. I'm so busy I barely have time to eat lunch. Having open visiting hours will surely add on more work to the already exhausting work I already have, because with the open visiting hours, I'd have to run around catering to the family's every request. Many times I have family members who come in and want you to explain every little thing you're doing which of course they have every right to ask, but if it were to go on all day, I can't imagine getting a lot done. I'm really wondering who the open visitation hours are for...the patient or the family members. I don't see how the patient is gaining if everyone wants to come in to wake them up every hour, or all day (if that's the case), touch them, pick at them, clean them (which we do anyway, but somehow it never seems to be enough). And not only do the family members keep them up, but we as nurses do also when we are giving our care to the; so essentially, I don't think the patient will get any decent rest if we allow the open visitation. I believe that having family support and presence aids in the healing process, but I think it can also be overdone and too much. I have never worked in a place with open visitation, so I may be wrong in my thinking. If we do change our visiting hours, I may actually find it to be okay. I don't know. We'll see.

babyboomer47 · Feb 8, 2008

Ok all you ICU nurses, I need your input!
Yesterday at a staff meeting, the issue of visiting hours came up. Currently, our visiting hours are 1030-1100, 1330-1400 and 1800-1830. (Also, keep in mind, we're Neurosurg.) Now they're talking about making open visiting, with the exception of shift changes and doctor rounding time.
I think this could be disasterous! I can't imagine having open visiting in an ICU that's open! I mean you'd have people in and out all the time. My manager says we're not doing it yet, but states that maybe we should try it, before they make us do it! I have to say I'm not crazy about the idea!
Also, we're a NEURO unit! These people need decreased stimulation! It's bad enough that these pt's have to endure three half-hour visiting of family screaming "squeeze my hand, open your eyes, etc.".....but to have it more!!??!!?? Uh, I think I'd have to slit my wrists too!
Let me know what your visiting hours are and what you think of open visiting!
Thanks!
:kiss

i work in a 32 bed med surg icu. we have had "open" visiting for about 2 years. we are currently looking to somehow modify from the free for all approach to some modified version of the open hours visitation. why? difficult teaching/learning environment (families misinterpret things said in rounds), hippa(people say they are family and are informed and are not), constant distraction for rn(med errors...), frequently the family needs far outweigh the needs of the patient leading to decreased quality/time spent delivering direct patient care, families "camp out" sometimes literally in the room (no space for rn to work), overstimulate the patients who need less frequent to little stimulation(agitated/tachypnic/labile/vented/sedated pt), and the list goes on and on and on... and by the way it makes the rn's qu

ality of worklife frequently a nightmare. best of luck

midlandrn · Feb 11, 2008

We too have open visiting in a 15 bed general ICU. We do close at shift change and discourage visiting after 10pm. We have had these hours for about 8years and they can definitely be challenging. People just don't understand when you are pumping on someone's chest that perhaps that is not a real good time to ask for a pillow. As much as I was used to (and most times would prefer) a tighter control on visiting, I think the patients really do need the comfort of that familiar person. For the most part also, visitors are very cooperative and have no problem stepping out for procedures, etc.

Don't get me wrong though, a couple of days of "visiting only at the top of the even hour for 10 minutes and close at 6pm until 10am"......would be kind of nice.

Make sure if they insist on staying, you put them to work. The rooms are small and there's no space for standing around watching us work. show them where the linen is and the tv controller and the ice machine, etc. It will get better.:icon_roll

jellybeanmead · Feb 13, 2008

Hi all!! Check this out. We have just celebrated our one year anniversary in our new unit. Our unit has 20 beds and in each room, there is a room connected to it for the family members to stay. The room has 2 chairs that pull out into a bed, a flat screen tv, sink, wardrobe closet, mirror, table, and a phone. We also have 24 hour visitation hours. 4 visitors can be at the bedside at a time during the day and 2 people can stay overnight. I must say, having the family members practically live in the unit was a bit challenging. Especially when the pt is coding and the family is coming out of the room wondering what all the comotion is about. However, with the family at the bedside, they are able to see and appreciate everything we do. Also during CPR, they normally want you to stop the code once they see you beating on your family member's chest. Now that can go the other way because sometimes they start to compare nurses etc. But even with the visitation, it caa be a lot of traffic. It is still in progress. Oh, we also have a family coordinator at the front of the unit to orient the family members and brief them of the rules. If we have any problems, we call the family coordinator. (Yes, we have had problems). Long story short, it has its ups and downs.