open visitation?

[tigerRN2013]

Due to the Joint Commission's new recommendations, my unit manager wants to open visitation hours 24 hours a day, and it's going to happen despite the entire nursing staff being against the idea. What works on your unit to make open visitation a good thing instead of a burden?

[Nalon1 RN/EMT-P, BSN, RN]

Our unit (and entire hospital) has visiting hours, but we never turn anyone away or make people leave when the hours are over (they make an announcement when visiting hours are over overhead hospital wide, and some people just leave on their own then).

If they come in between 9 PM and 7 AM they have to come in through the ER entrance and check in through security, so it does make it a little more inconvenient for them. We do has a soft 2 visitor limit daytime and a hard 1 person overnight limit (but other visitors may still come, just not spend the whole night).

The only time it is even slightly an issue is when your doing shift change report and they interrupt you, but usually we can let them know we are doing shift change and will be with them shortly.

Curious why everyone is against it?

[brithoover]

We have open visitation, especially with palliative. It actually doesn't bother me in the least. If they are too loud or interfere with care they are asked to step out or leave if it is really bothersome

[tigerRN2013]

I find some family members to be wonderful people and am sorry to see them leave at the end of visiting hours, but the reason the nurses are against it is because while some family members are wonderful, we have others who are constantly stimulating the patients making it hard for them to get any rest or other family members who are down right aggressive with the staff (invading the staff's personal space, constantly coming out of the room and requesting medications that are contraindicated for the pt, walking into other patient's rooms to get the nurses attention) and some who basically refuse to leave when asked to step out the room so that a patient's sheets can be changed, ec....

[Nalon1 RN/EMT-P, BSN, RN]

I find some family members to be wonderful people and am sorry to see them leave at the end of visiting hours, but the reason the nurses are against it is because while some family members are wonderful, we have others who are constantly stimulating the patients making it hard for them to get any rest or other family members who are down right aggressive with the staff (invading the staff's personal space, constantly coming out of the room and requesting medications that are contraindicated for the pt, walking into other patient's rooms to get the nurses attention) and some who basically refuse to leave when asked to step out the room so that a patient's sheets can be changed, ec....

This has nothing to do with visiting hours, this has to do with visitors understanding the rules of a hospital. If a visitor is interfering with patient care, you have the right to have them removed. No it is not pleasant, but it is the right thing. Get your charge involved. Talk to your manager and/or director. Your not solving the problem by limiting visiting hours, your just compressing it.

As for those that are constantly bothering the patient, go and talk to them and explain what they are doing is hurting the patient.

[cardiacfreak, ADN]

We have open visitation even in our ICU, however, it is limited to 2 visitors at a time. Sometimes it is hard to get around in the room because you have a cot in the room for the visitor, and all of your equipment. The only time we are allowed to have visitors leave is when the patient says so, or if the visitors are becoming a problem.