Visitation Policies

Gompers, BSN, RN · Feb 28, 2006

What are the visitation policies in your units?

Parents can visit 21 hours a day. The only time they aren't allowed in (with the exception of a breastfeeding mom popping in for a feeding or a really sick baby) is 9am-noon because that's when the docs and NNPs spread out on the unit and do rounds on all the babies. It's purely a confidentiality thing. Non-parent visitors have to visit with one of the parents and are allowed in from noon-9pm daily. Only 2 visitors per bedside. Siblings are allowed in if they are not sick and have up-to-date immunization records on file with us, including the varicella vaccine if they haven't had chicken pox.

We'd like to have them leave during nursing report, even for a half an hour, but we only just started the 9am-noon thing when HIPAA started, so baby steps, I guess.

MegNeoNurse · Mar 3, 2006

Parents can visit 24 hours hours a day, with the exception of change of shift (7:00-7:30am & 7:00-7:30pm). If mom is running a fever or has an infection and is on antibiotics we ask her to stay out of the unit until her med dose is done. The only other time we restrict parent visitation is if we have a severly critical patient, we ask all visitors to step out. We have, in the past, due to a very high census for what our unit can hold (23 babies in a 19-unit Level III NICU... which we are addiing 11 beds in the next year!) to limit 1-2 visitors per bedside. Normal visitor policy is 4 per bedside (2 in addition to parents usually.)

We ask all parents to sign visitation forms, and they are kept in the front of the babie's chart. If you are on the form, you may visit without the parents being present.

As far as siblings..... it is currently RSV season, so we do not allow any siblings under the age of 6 yrs to enter the unit. After RSV season all siblings may visit, but parents are to understand they need to be controlled (noise running around etc.)

As far as other guests, we do not allow any non-sibling (even cousin, aunt etc.) visitors under the age of 12. This policy is in effect always, regardless of RSV season.

Any visitor entering the NICU must sign the visitor sign-in sheet located at the front desk (Asks for Date, Time-in, Time-Out, Name, Baby's Name you are visiting (first name only!), and "Have you been sick in the last week?) We do have masks available to those who are sick with a cold, or have a cold sore, but prefer them to come back when they are healed.