open visitation in icu??

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i work in a a small 10 bed unit icu. we still have set visitations of 5 visits per day, 20 minutes each 2 people at a time. the hospital is considering open visitation. this is new to me and the staff that i work with.

i would love to hear your opinions of open visitation in a busy icu!!!

thanks so much!!!

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.
i work in a a small 10 bed unit icu. we still have set visitations of 5 visits per day, 20 minutes each 2 people at a time. the hospital is considering open visitation. this is new to me and the staff that i work with.

i would love to hear your opinions of open visitation in a busy icu!!!

thanks so much!!!

hello and sparklywelcome.gif to allnurses.com

great to have you with us. check out this thread here about open visitation:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f15/cvicu-open-visitation-47151.html?highlight=open+visits

enjoy the forums!

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

I have worked in ICUs w/ open and limited visitations policies. I prefer the open visitations. The research shows that it is beneficial for your patients, and I have personally found that it helps reduce the anxiety in your awake patients.

I do recommend closing the unit for 1 hr during shift change. It allievates a lot of problems not having visitors during shift change.

i work in a a small 10 bed unit icu. we still have set visitations of 5 visits per day, 20 minutes each 2 people at a time. the hospital is considering open visitation. this is new to me and the staff that i work with.

i would love to hear your opinions of open visitation in a busy icu!!!

thanks so much!!!

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We have a 6 bed ICU with visitor's restrictions, but we are pretty leniant with it. As long as no one is making alot of noise we keep it open. Also, we usually keep the door closed and there is a sign on it that says if it's closed to please knock first. Usually, we only have 1-2 pts at a time so it's not a big concern with us.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I have worked with both and I hate open visitation ! The patients do not get to rest and when the families finally leave many have told me they were so glad the visitors left. Of course there are exceptions to every rule and we are very accomodating to both patients and families. In my 10 years in ICU I find open visitation counterproductive to healing. FYI there are just as many research articles against it as for it. I guess it just depends on your experiences.

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Agree that open visits have downside. Training visitors takes up much time too. I wish we would have blocked off hours and a limitted visitors list including only a few family, friend or whoever. The rest can get reports from the lounge. Then I only need to train a few key visitors who have reasonable access and can help me with some pt care. :uhoh3: I promote family-pt-nurse team building and interaction. Develops trust and becomes very important in end-of-life.

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Specializes in Telemetry, ICU, Resource Pool, Dialysis.

I guess our visitation policy is pretty much open. We "open" at 800, close between 1430 and 1600, between 1830 and 2000 for report and initial assessments. I don't mind visitors (depending on the pt condition) but I hate having them around when I do my initial assessment, and when they congregate outside the rooms. Even this liberal visitation policy is not good enough for some families. Most just walk in whenever they want, then get really nasty when they are reminded that we are closed to visitors until such and such time. It's been a challenge to get consistancy - with some nurses being lenient and others being strict.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

NO.

~faith,

Timothy.

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I guess our visitation policy is pretty much open. We "open" at 800, close between 1430 and 1600, between 1830 and 2000 for report and initial assessments. I don't mind visitors (depending on the pt condition) but I hate having them around when I do my initial assessment, and when they congregate outside the rooms. Even this liberal visitation policy is not good enough for some families. Most just walk in whenever they want, then get really nasty when they are reminded that we are closed to visitors until such and such time. It's been a challenge to get consistancy - with some nurses being lenient and others being strict.

the place where i interned, had the same thing... the only restrictions was no visits during shift change (7:15-8:30 am/pm) and the manditory "rest period" (2-3 pm)... i quite liked it... of course, the visitation was with the understanding that if any procedure, assessment or personal care had to be done, the family would leave during that time...

ETA: the open visitation policy only applied to immediate family or 1 non-family visitor accompanied by family...

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When I worked neuro ICu and SICU, we did not have open visitation. We had the families call back and ask if they could come visit. It was sort of a difficult thing- because if one family was in there during a code, they completely forgot about visiting their family and gathered round for the code.

and then there was a paranoid family that insisted on having one person to observe at all times and write everything down.

We did a survey with pts that got better enough and they all said they wanted less time with visitors, as they felt they looked bad in ICU, and such- and difficult to deal with family who tended to be overly dramatic while the patient was on the vent....

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Specializes in ICU, Education.

I am truly shocked at what you all are saying about what patients do and would want. I am the first to admit that it is easeir NOT to have to deal with families when you are trying to figure out what is going on with your patient and haven't even gotten a chance to review their chart yet. However, I believe that MOST families DO relieve anxiety in the patient, as they care a hell of alot more for the patient's well being than we do. I believe visiting should be restricted at shift change for confidentially purposes, and so that we have a chance to get our info in order and give care to our patients. I don't know WHAT AlexCCRN meant by "training " family members either. I don't mind families present most of the time. I have no problems answering their questions, as long as they give me a little rope and time to find the answeres. I always think of how it would be if this patient was MY mother or MY husband, and act accordingly. Seirously I truly feel this way. That comment about "Training" family members was nauseating. when your husband or son gets a closed head injury, see how well YOU take to "training". We must not forget that this job is NOT about US. I will add that i am not a new and idealistic nurse either ,but doing this for 20 years now. maybe you should rethink why you are in this field AlecxCCRN

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Open visitation is just another feel good fad that ignores why and how things work.

And that's why these fads never last.

~faith,

Timothy.

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