Visiting Hours

Ruby Vee, BSN · Dec 23, 2006

oh, this can be a hot button. i've worked in units that have open visitation 24 hours a day, and i've worked in locked units where visitors have to be buzzed in. i prefer the latter. nothing like leaving your purse in patient a's room, and while cleaning up a poopy mess in patient b's room, looking through the glass to see patient a's homeys cleaning out your wallet! i know i'm going to be flamed for this, so i'm donning my asbestos suit!

it is easier to post very restrictive visiting hours and relax the rules in special circumstances than it is to allow open visitation and then try to restrict visitation for certain problematic families. (the families that are going to be problematic when visiting are the first ones to scream when they think their "rights" are being violated!)

whatever you decide the rules are, they should be enforced by everyone. otherwise you get the "good nurse/bad nurse situation" and no one should be placed in that position by her peers!

nurselizk · Dec 23, 2006

Why would you leave your purse in a patient's room??

Ruby Vee, BSN · Dec 23, 2006

why would you leave your purse in a patient's room??

because you could keep an eye on it there better than you could if you left it in the "break" room, and there was no room at the nurse's station. (visitors once cleaned out everyone's wallet in the break room! one of our nurses, who happened to be a martial arts enthusiaist walked in and caught him red handed, chased him down the hall and tackled him. then she put him in a choke hold and held him until security arrived!) everyone left their purses in patient rooms. that's been the norm in every icu i've ever worked in except one, and that icu provided lockers for the staff.

AmyCardsNP, RN, NP · Dec 24, 2006

I agree with Ruby Vee's point of view on visiting hours... it's much easier to make exceptions in special circumstances when the family will be of benefit to the patient's recovery (or the patient is heading south) with restrictive visiting hours, than it is to kick out the pain in the butt family members who are hyperstimulating the patient that needs rest.

But on another note, I would defiitely start working on the managment to install lockers in the lounge (or at least getting a lock on the lounge door so family members cannot get in). You can get a stand-alone wall of small lockers for just a couple hundred dollars. Maybe I'm just naive, but I've never been in a hospital that didnt have lockers provided for staff (I've been in 6 different institutions).

NURSJADED · Dec 25, 2006

Well, I wouldn't put my purse in a patient's room because.. ewww.. they're nasty. I know what's been in that room and how the housekeeping staff cleans them (not very well). But I don't bring a purse to work anyways. I usually just stuff a couple of buck in my pocket and I have a bag with stethescope, penlight, etc that I stick in a drawer at the nurses's station. But, gee whiz, the least they can do is stick some lockers in the break room for you guys!

We're currently in the process of reviewing our visitation hours and the new CNO is asking for recommendations and what other facilities do. Personally, I agree with limited visiting hours and making exceptions. There's always a few nurses that love to "impress" the families and let them in all at once and at all hours that really screws it up for the rest of us that are trying to control it. I could care less if I'm their "favorite" nurse. I just want to give good care and its so difficult to do when Second-cousin-George-once-removed-on-his-sister's-side is standing next to the bed telling me, "well, when I was in the hospital with my gallbladder attack, this is what they'd do....blah, blah, blah", or better yet, you've got the family member who feels it necessary to tell you everytime the numbers on the monitor change "you know, that thing is saying 97 now and not 100 anymore.. don't you think you should do something?" I love to ask.. "what would you like me to do?" Yes, I am jaded and can be quite the smart-orifice these days.. but I always say it with a smile!

ctucker · Dec 25, 2006

In our ICU,CVICU our visiting hours as follows for 30min at each interval. 10am 1330, 1700,2000, 2400. They have to pick up a phone and then we buzz them in if there is not an emergency going on. During any code, recieving or discharging a patient we hold visitation untill the situation is clear. We also check with each nurse that is working to make sure that everyone is ready for visitation. Last check on the code browns, need for suctioning and cleanup the room.

Hope this helps

NURSJADED · Dec 26, 2006

Love that policy Ctucker! Will be cutting and pasting it for review, thanks!

ctucker · Dec 26, 2006

I can scan you the vistor handout we have predone with all the info in it plus other helpful hints like the cafeteria hours

navynurse06 · Dec 26, 2006

When I worked in the ICU at the VA we had open visiting hours from like 0800 until 2000. Then there was one 30 min visiting time at 0730 and at like 2100 or so.

We also only allowed two visitors per pt. And we always cleared people out when there was a code going on.

I can see the pros and cons of both scheduling visting hours and open visting hours.

NURSJADED · Dec 26, 2006

I can scan you the vistor handout we have predone with all the info in it plus other helpful hints like the cafeteria hours

That would be great!

pk1 · Jan 14, 2007

I have worked it both ways. Scheduled visiting hours-they come in by the herds and don't want to leave. Our ICU now has open visiting hours, but they also have a lock on the door, so when there are times visitors should not come in, the door is closed. It appears there are less visitors coming when there is a open door policy. I have also been on the other side. Not knowing whats going on is not a good feeling. Family and patient do much to reassure each other.