visiting policy

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Hi all, i was just wanting to see what everyone else's policy was, we are continually having a problem with this, I work in a pretty busy place, 300 deliveries a month, we have sepearte LDR's from our mother/baby unit, last night, there was a patient's family, at LEAST 30 visitors, all waiting out in the hall and were continually ASKED to go to the waiting room which is just down the hall and out a door, apparently they thought the room was too far away, so they waited at the desk in the chairs watching THE MONITOR, security had to come ask them to leave, because when our charge nurse did, they responded with....'that's my daughter im a lawyer you can't make me, blah blah blah' it was RIDICULOUS!! this happens all the time, or 10 visitors listening at the door.....hey don't get me wrong, I'm all about including the family, but CHILDBIRTH is NOT a spectator sport and it just erks me to ow end when family says inappropriate things and just dont have a clue!!!! Some family members are very helpful and cooperative, but tonight I was doing a recovery and it was like parting the red sea to get to my patient and having to do an assessment with everyone in the room! I asked them to leave but of course that took 10 minutes cuz they all had to say goodbye and kiss and such...anyway, sorry to be so long....so what's your opinions!??! SHelley

I ALWAYS SAY YOU WEREN'T THERE WHEN THEY CONCEIVED THEN YOU DON'T NEED TO BE THERE WHEN THEY DELIVER. MY CURRENT FACILITY ONLY ALLOWES TWO SOP AND A STATEMENT OF AGREEMENT MUST BE SIGNED BY THE PATIENT AND THE SOP. THIS AGREEMENT STATES THAT ANYTIME DURING DELIVERY YOU MAY BE ASKED TO LEAVE BY THE NURSE, MIDWIFE OR DOCTOR. :cool:

MY PREVIOUSE FACILITY HAD OPEN HOUSE EVERYBODY AND THIER HUSBANDS, BROTHERS, FATHERS, PIZZA DELIVERY GUY AND THER KIDS COULD BE PRESENT FOR THE BIRTH.:nono: NOTHING LIKE WORRING ABOUT THE 2Y/O STILL AWAKE AT 3:00 AM IN THE LABOR ROOM OR TRIPPING OVER THEM AS THEY EAT CHEERIOS OFF THE FLOOR.. :eek:

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I ALWAYS SAY YOU WEREN'T THERE WHEN THEY CONCEIVED THEN YOU DON'T NEED TO BE THERE WHEN THEY DELIVER. MY CURRENT FACILITY ONLY ALLOWES TWO SOP AND A STATEMENT OF AGREEMENT MUST BE SIGNED BY THE PATIENT AND THE SOP. THIS AGREEMENT STATES THAT ANYTIME DURING DELIVERY YOU MAY BE ASKED TO LEAVE BY THE NURSE, MIDWIFE OR DOCTOR. :cool:

MY PREVIOUSE FACILITY HAD OPEN HOUSE EVERYBODY AND THIER HUSBANDS, BROTHERS, FATHERS, PIZZA DELIVERY GUY AND THER KIDS COULD BE PRESENT FOR THE BIRTH.:nono: NOTHING LIKE WORRING ABOUT THE 2Y/O STILL AWAKE AT 3:00 AM IN THE LABOR ROOM OR TRIPPING OVER THEM AS THEY EAT CHEERIOS OFF THE FLOOR.. :eek:

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Originally posted by Ldrn

I ALWAYS SAY YOU WEREN'T THERE WHEN THEY CONCEIVED THEN YOU DON'T NEED TO BE THERE WHEN THEY DELIVER.

Oh, I like that! Do you think management would be open to me getting some signs printed up that say that? :chuckle

Heather

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Originally posted by Ldrn

I ALWAYS SAY YOU WEREN'T THERE WHEN THEY CONCEIVED THEN YOU DON'T NEED TO BE THERE WHEN THEY DELIVER.

Oh, I like that! Do you think management would be open to me getting some signs printed up that say that? :chuckle

Heather

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My favorite is when you ask the family to leave the room to do a vag exam and they say "oh, we don't mind."

Well, if you don't mind, then take your pants off and get in the bed while I go find a cold speculum.....

Some of my favorites are the ones who see the sign on the door saying that the patient is sleeping, hunt me down to ask if the patient is really sleeping and then want me to go wake her up to tell her she has a visitor. Gee, that sorta defeats the purpose of the sign.

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My favorite is when you ask the family to leave the room to do a vag exam and they say "oh, we don't mind."

Well, if you don't mind, then take your pants off and get in the bed while I go find a cold speculum.....

Some of my favorites are the ones who see the sign on the door saying that the patient is sleeping, hunt me down to ask if the patient is really sleeping and then want me to go wake her up to tell her she has a visitor. Gee, that sorta defeats the purpose of the sign.

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Fortunately, we have very strict security in place. No one allowed onto the labor floor unless banded. 2 SOP's are allowed in the room........and they may NOT switch off with other family members during the labor. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule, and they are sometimes broken.....at the nurses or Dr's discretion. We have 800-900 births per month....that's a lot of people scrambling through our halls.....if we let them!

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.
Originally posted by finallyRN

I think all OB units are the same in regards to visitors. My favorite is when you ask the family to leave the room to do a vag exam and they say "oh, we don't mind." They don't realize we were worried about the patient not the visitors.

Maybe you could get them an audience for their prostate exam - and make sure to measure that member with a ruler and announce the results to all the visitors while you are at it.

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Specializes in ER.

Bleachers behind plexiglass, that's the solution.

Or closed circuit TV to the waiting room, multiple screens for multiple labors.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Or how bout an old fashioned THEATRE???? like in Frankenstein???? That way,you can fit EVERYONE in on the ACTION...a microphone over the bed.....in the ROUND on a rotating stage. Works for ME!

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:roll

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We had a teenager deliver on our unit last week, and I think the whole high school showed up! To make things worse, the following day, the teenaged boyfriend refused to let the girl's father see the baby. It was a real mess.

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