visiting policy

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Hi all, i was just wanting to see what everyone else's policy was, we are continually having a problem with this, I work in a pretty busy place, 300 deliveries a month, we have sepearte LDR's from our mother/baby unit, last night, there was a patient's family, at LEAST 30 visitors, all waiting out in the hall and were continually ASKED to go to the waiting room which is just down the hall and out a door, apparently they thought the room was too far away, so they waited at the desk in the chairs watching THE MONITOR, security had to come ask them to leave, because when our charge nurse did, they responded with....'that's my daughter im a lawyer you can't make me, blah blah blah' it was RIDICULOUS!! this happens all the time, or 10 visitors listening at the door.....hey don't get me wrong, I'm all about including the family, but CHILDBIRTH is NOT a spectator sport and it just erks me to ow end when family says inappropriate things and just dont have a clue!!!! Some family members are very helpful and cooperative, but tonight I was doing a recovery and it was like parting the red sea to get to my patient and having to do an assessment with everyone in the room! I asked them to leave but of course that took 10 minutes cuz they all had to say goodbye and kiss and such...anyway, sorry to be so long....so what's your opinions!??! SHelley

Locked unit. :) That's all I have to say. I am veeeeeeery happy with our visitation policy.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

oh my, I'm glad I'm not a OB nurse. I work on the medical floor of a very busy hospital. We encourage our family members to stay the night in the patients room. Makes our job a little easier (as long as there is not a bunch of them).(and of course if they are not annoying!) If the patient is very sick it just gives us an extra set of eyes. Also it can be extra comforting for the patient. But then again, its a whole different environment than OB..........

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:crying2: We don't even have a visitor policy!
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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I guess in OB the big issue is, a majority of the time, we are NOT dealing with SICK people at ALL......it is essentially a healthy experience that is far too medicalized and it is natural for loved ones to wish to be involved in what is a joyful and exciting occasion. That is why visitors policies that apply in other areas of hospitals often hold NO water in OB. It *is* a different world!

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I went in to check on a laboring pt for one of the other nurses and I met my new "favorite" visitor. She was one of about a dozen people in the room. She was sitting next to the pt's bed and she was smoking a cigarette. Of course, the pt had oxygen on at the time. That visitor couldn't get far enough away from that bed and put that cigarette out quick enough for my liking. Of course we have so much emphasis on "client satisfaction" that I had to politely remind her that smoking is not allowed in the hospital and, oh, by the way, you could blow up the whole room. And even more amazing was the fact that not one other person in the room thought to tell her that burning cigarettes and pure oxygen is a very bad combo.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

unbelievable...heinous.....thank Good ness dont' deal w/folks that obnoxious much where I work.

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