Total Disregard for Visiting Hours

[DYLANB]

Just curious to hear about other nurses experiences with the total disregard patient families have for visiting hours and hosptial policies. I have been a nurse now for 3 years and have split time between ICU and CVICU. Patient families skirt the rules all of the time and get away with it. Moreover, nurses I know have been reprimanded for inforcing policies set forth by the hospital after family memebrs complain to administration. I understand that since I work in critical care that that patient acuity is high and family memebrs are worried about the patients well being but, how are we as nurses expect to perform our jobs at the highest level if we can't care for the patient because 100 family memebrs wont stop asking the same questions over and over or crowd the room to the point we can't even see the patient? I sometimes feel that rules people normally follow in far less important situations go out the window when they eneter a hospital. You don't go behind the counter at McDonalds and watch them cook your hamburger or stand over the cashiers shoulder while they process your transaction. Why is this behavior allowed in the hospital setting?

[anotherone, BSN, RN]

My hospitals has 24 hour visiting even ICUs !!!!! although if pt is in semi probate room it is discouraged. not only do we deal with pts complain of being woken up for vitals or antibiotics but so do their visitors!!!! lol

[iluvivt, BSN, RN]

Yes.... it has become maddening I agree. I have my own policies that I follow now. If I need family to leave or be quite so I can complete nursing care I will politely state what I need to happen. It has gotten so bad that often I cannot even get to the bedside to provide the care and worse yet some family members will not even move out of the way so you can take care of their loved one. Sometimes family camps out in the room or waiting areas and they exhaust the patient. On the weekends I often see unattended children running in the hallways..where has common sense gone? It used to be that their was some degree of respect in how you conduct yourself in hospitals and churches ...NO MORE!

We tell families now that they need to designate one family member to communicate with nursing staff. In the units visitors are controlled much more strictly than on the floors which is a free for all at times. If you believe your nsg care may be hampered by all the distractions by all means take control of the individual situation you find yourself in.I do that now all the time. I often ask family members to leave the room when I need to start a very difficult IV.I do not want or need to hear everybody's IV experiences...I do not want to have to say excuse me a bunch of times...i do not want to trip over them as I dispose of my sharps and clean up and it goes on and on. It also adds a ton of extra time to my day and some other patient is always in line next for my services.

You are 100 percent correct..we need to fix this problem but too many people are worried about the customer model that common sense goes out the window.

[sjbrk]

I have never worked at a hospital that had visiting hours -- both hospitals I have worked at believe that the patient's family is of vital importance to the healing (or dying) process. If there is a problem with too many people in the room - speak up. As far as everyone asking you questions, be careful how you answer and who you answer to. There should be one delegated family member: spouse, parent, etc. Friends and visitors should go to them only. You may find yourself in trouble should you give too much information out to the wrong people, even if they are friends of the patient.

In short...Get over it. If you were in the hospital, you would want your family with you -- whenever you wanted them. Not between the hours of whatever your hospital deems best.

[dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN]

I can see both sides of the coin. My mother spent her last few months in and out of tiny country hospital ICUs that had very strict visiting hours -- hugely inconvenient when you have to drive several hours to spend maybe an hour with your loved one before visiting hours are over for the night. My grandfather died in such a hospital. It was a bit mortifying to be rushed out of his room a few minutes after he was taken off the ventilator (and not expected to live for more than a few hours longer) because visiting hours were over. We pleaded, and the RN finally made an exception for his children to be there when he passed.

On the other hand, I'm a nurse and have certainly seen how having family present 24/7 can slow down the nursing/medical process, aggravate the patient, and even delay healing. Honestly, in an ICU setting at least, while family presence is touted as being calming and healing for the patient -- it's more often the accumulated anxiety, restlessness, and fear of said family that seems to impact the patient the most. It's often family that simply won't let the patient rest. Not to mention the headache of dealing with families that camp out, and often as a result, start demanding things like food, blankets, pillows, etc. We had a lady recently call patient relations on us because we wouldn't give the newborn that she had brought along formula or a crib to sleep in while her husband was hospitalized.

[Intentional]

Not to mention the headache of dealing with families that camp out, and often as a result, start demanding things like food, blankets, pillows, etc. We had a lady recently call patient relations on us because we wouldn't give the newborn that she had brought along formula or a crib to sleep in while her husband was hospitalized.

Geesh, I don't mind pillows, blankets, or the occasional cot, but formula is a bit much!

[JDZ344]

In the UK, most visiting is afternoons only. It's nice :)

[Blackcat99]

I agree with you DYLANB. You are so right! People don't go behind the counter at McDonald's to watch the food being prepared nor do they stand over the cashier's shoulder while they process your transaction. I do not like having "an audience of family members" watching me like a hawk when I am in the room doing nursing tasks. It makes me feel nervous and uncomfortable. It's ridiculous when you get so many visitors that you can hardly squeeze into a room to even do any kind of nursing care.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

When my father was in the hospital I followed the visiting hours, granted the hospital was very liberal. Since I was the main contact I was able to stay except during change of shift.. That was when I ate something. Other than that for those first few days I lived at the hospital. My family never had more than 2 people in his room at a time, and I always stepped out when they did procedures. I never asked for anything and had to sleep sitting upright in a chair leaning on a wall. I was grateful I was able to stay. Other hospitals have visiting hours that are ridiculous. You get no time with your family member. I would have been one of those crazy people who fought tooth and nail to spend more time with my father. However, I think it is all about respect. Most families don't have it towards us.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Have to make the cutomer happy, not what is best for the patient....

[SaoirseRN]

We have visiting hours that aren't enforced adequately. Technically they start at 1330 but often people are in first thing and it does get challenging.

Recently we had a granddaughter of a very lovely patient, who claimed she was a nurse, but actually was no longer working in health care, and while she liked to throw out all sorts of medical terminology, didn't seem to have much experience or knowledge.

Anyway, she also had a horrible attitude. The patient's GP (a damn good doc) came in on his rounds at 0830, and the granddaughter was there already. He asked her to leave the room so that he could speak to his patient privately (the woman was 90, but cognitively intact with a family who liked to speak for her anyway). The granddaughter got snippy with attitude in response ("What's the difference, I was wiping her butt yesterday?" even though she was not because the patient was completely self-caring)

Didn't hear the GP's response, but the next thing I know, the granddaughter is standing in the hall looking disgruntled and the doctor has shut the door behind her.

Gotta love a doctor with balls!

[redhead_NURSE98!, ADN, BSN]

I often ask family members to leave the room when I need to start a very difficult IV.I do not want or need to hear everybody's IV experiences...I do not want to have to say excuse me a bunch of times...i do not want to trip over them as I dispose of my sharps and clean up and it goes on and on. It also adds a ton of extra time to my day and some other patient is always in line next for my services.

Yeah I wish I had a dime for every silly story about how "that nurse put this HUGE bruise on mah arm, it took a week to go away!" I just act unimpressed and say "Yep, it happens, doesn't mean the nurse did anything wrong" and keep going. It pains me when a layperson visitor wants to discuss all the ills that some horrible nurse committed upon THEM when THEY were hospitalized while their family member is lying in bed feeling horrible, dying, etc.