PACU RN's- what is your visitor policy?

[RN34TX]

My manager believes that our unit is too strict with visitation and wants us to be more in step with ASPAN standards of visitation.

She wants our input and to come to a decision about how to make visitation more open.

I'd like to know how different PACU's handle visitor issues:

1. Does your PACU allow visitors?

2. If so, under what circumstances? i.e. peds cases only, special needs, ect.

3. Is the visit just for a quick minute or is it unlimited to stand in there and see everything?

4. How many people can be in there per patient at a time?

5. How do you handle privacy issues, giving report when a visitor is in the room, etc. or when patients go bad or code in front of visitors, etc.

Any input by PACU (former or current) nurses would be greatly appreciated.

[PACURN1818]

A few other threads over this issue.... Check them out.

I am trying to be better about visitors, because our management is all about it. Officially it is the nurses decision any time before 2 hrs, except kids under 16. However if family complains you didnt let them back then you can be in a sticky situation.

I acutally had a woman angry at me LAST WEEK because someone was going bad, md at bedside, anesthesia cart ready to go, and I pulled the curtain. She says "dont do that I am trying to watch!" Was for real angry and expected me to open it back up...

Really?!

Sometimes they help. Most of the time they watch other peoples family members waking up, talk about suzie dating tommy or bills, dont allow the patient to rest, or interfere with care.

A MD i like when we had issues a while ago said to me "If visitors dont like what is going on in PACU, they shouldnt be in here. This isnt where you order what you want and can pick and choose. Good medicine, esp good anesthesia can look brutal if you dont understand what is going on. If people have an issue with it, then they BELONG IN THE WAITING ROOM." High five on the one G!

[lady constance]

we actually can be written up if we don't get visitors in if the patient is there for an hour........

:) tis ok, cause i can mix drugs better than a bartender can make a grenade or a rum runner........

i dont mind visitors,actually enjoy them and try to make their day.. but as i bring them in, i explain curtains closed for privacy-- their family members and other patients privacy, 5 minute limit, et al..... so they know what to expect...

if you happen to be the only patient in the pacu, i let the whole entire clan in... easier to explain all at once rather than 20 times... but i also explain the privledge of being the only one ......if the patient it too unstable, the docs go explain that visiting is not an option for the BEST care of the family member,,,,

i am fortunate to work with docs who are on the same page as the nurses...

[pacurn60]

We allow parents of peds. If we are holding for post op beds we usually let 1 or 2 family members at the most for 10-15 minutes. I do have to be a patient family advocate on this somewhat we have some surgeons who forget to talk to the family and invariably that patient gets the PACU nurse who is not proactive in updating the family by telephone then we have an irrate family that hasn't heard anything about their loved 1 for hours. Some of my nurses are awesome and based on patient acuity have called and talked to the waiting room within an hour of them arriving PACu and if they haven't they let me know and I will go update the family.

[Celaine54]

We have a policy in place for visitors in pacu...it is up to nurse when to allow parents of small children...otherwise usually no visitors...ours is phase I pacu only...too many critical pts to have a visitor potentially become a pt too!

[wannabecnl]

Our PACU appears to restrict visitors to pedi patients' parents or guardians only; one exception was made one time, and the person stayed FOREVER. I don't know our official policy; however, I was just reading a relatively new study about this in JoPAN that looked at stress levels of family members when allowed to visit (under extremely "perfect" conditions--elective surgery, patient in great shape, 5 minute visit, etc.) vs. being given a tour of the surgical areas other than OR/PACU (to control for time/attention with the researcher). Family members who were allowed to visit experienced a decrease in stress, while the controls experienced an increase in stress. I have to admit that I was left wondering where this would stop; I appreciate that the family members get stressed out and that nurses care for the whole family, yada yada, but at the end of the day, I'm not about family member satisfaction--I am about patent airways and pain control!

[firemantoddswife]

1. Yes, Phase II definitely, Phase I, RN discretion.

2. Peds, special need, language barrier, RN discretion

3. I have a late shift, so it's one pt at a time usually, so not an issue to 'see everything'.

4. Phase II, up to 4, but comfort level for the RN.

5. Privacy not an issue in Phase II, close the door. In phase I, close the curtain, but really, monitors are usually beeping enough to drown out convo's.