open or closed visiting ?

I LOVE open visitation. People think I am crazy but I have always been able to use this to my advantage. When I used to work in the ED it was a very large inner city trauma center and we would have mountains of patients there. We had this huge holding area with patients on one stretcher after another. It would be so crowded that you would have to pull the stretcher out like a drawer to do something then push it back in. When the visitors came in I would put them in chairs at the ends of the beds. I would give them my name and give them a little report on their family member, etc. Next thing you know, they are helping me watch out for the other patients. They would get them blankets, help me keep them in bed, call me if they needed something. They were like having free sitters. I kept them back there in my area as long as they would stay. I put them to work.

Now on med surg, I don't mind a bit. In fact, especially when I have someone confused, stay as long as you want to and call me if you need something. I have had very few problems with visitors through the years. Most people are nice and helpful and like to help if they can. I am all for open visitation.

We have sort of a combination. We have visiting hours, but provided you gain permission from charge you can visit any time. I've never seen it denied. We do limit number of visitors at one time, and of course age of visitors.

Most of the time, I prefer it when visitors are present. You get a lot less call light usage, and the patients are generally happier.