Visitor policies

[FoolsErrand]

I am wondering what the visitor policies are like at other hospitals and if they are actually enforced.

The visiting policy for all nursings units (except ICU, L&D and any peds) is supposed to be from 8a-8p. However, enforcing this "rule" can be difficult and time-consuming. It can take us quite awhile to get the visitors to actually leave. The hospital does an announcement at 8p, we then do another about 15 min later on our unit and since most of the visitors just don't care we have to start going room to room and telling them visiting hrs are over. Most of the time they just smile and say ok, but then do not leave and we have to go back around. Not only are we dealing with getting them to leave, but the amount of visitors they will squeeze in to these rooms sometimes astonishes me. Then, we have to waste our time telling them there is a 2 visitor/pt policy. They don't care about that either and we do not have private rooms. To make it worse, security will just send anybody up after visiting hrs with a pass without calling and asking. It is then put on us to have them leave and the family gets mad because obviously it is ok since security let them in.

I am really tired of dealing with this drama every night when I have much more important things to be doing with my time.... like taking care of pts

I am annoyed with hearing the complaints from the roommates of the pts that had 5 or more visitors all day because the other nurses are too scared, timid or just to plain busy to fight that battle or say anything. I really just do not get how they (the family) can be so inconsiderate of the fact that there is another pt in the room! I am sick of hearing the complaints from the family when I tell them that there should only be 2 visitors at a time because "nobody else said anything all day." We are also not supposed to let any visitors stay overnight unless for safety reasons or a pt is very ill or dying. But, that is also barely enforced. I feel like we need to hire someone just to deal with this!

Does anybody else have these issues at their facility? What is done to enforce the "policies" and can it even be??

Sorry this is so long.

Thank you for any replies :loveya:

[merlee]

Ask your supe for guidance, and let her do the dirty work. Period. That is what security is for. Keep out of it, don't waste your time.

And I certainly applaud the idea of turning on as much light as you need to be safe!

[nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN]

Do any of you remember playing "Twister?" That's what it's like for me as I step over clothes, food, laptops, drinks and everything else under the sun trying to look after a patient who's family is in "hover" mode. Now, if someone's dying, I will move heaven and earth to do what I can for a family -- get pull out chairs, drinks, blankets, whatever we've got. But 15 -- no kidding, I counted -- in to be with a 24 yo walkie-talkie "DKA every 3 weeks because they don't like to stick their finger" patient -- Get out! But since we're all about patient satisfaction, they get to stay and pester the livin' you know what out of us.

And, no, I don't have a charger for your FREAKING phone.

(sighs and shakes head)

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

Nobody is told to go home. It might make the customer mad.

[Bruce_Wayne, ASN, RN]

Most units in my hospital don't have visiting hours, the exception being the ICU and geratric psyche units. The lack of visitors is one of the reasons I enjoy working in the ICU but the majority of the time I work either medical, surgical, tele, or ortho none of which have certain visiting hours.

On the whole though, I don't mind visitors and I'd rather have my patients have somebody with them that can help them remember things and help advocate for their needs.

But yea, sometimes visitors are annoying. I especially hate it when there's a family member that's has preexisting anxiety/nervousness issues and they fret over every little thing and their nervousness makes the patient nervous and/or the patient just can't get any peace.

The only thing I know to do in that situation is to do frequent rounds, and through calm quiet assertive body language try to convey the notion that it's ok, we're going to check on your loved one, and we're here, available, and interested in helping. USUALLY that works, especially by the second day. But sometimes...

[ParvulusPuella]

8a-8p. But we do have private rooms, and as long as they are behaving and quiet, we usually don't pay them any mind.

[Silverlight2010]

From roughly about 8 am until 8:30 pm with rest period from 1:30 to 3 pm. 2 visitors per patient at any time, loosely enforced. Depends a lot on the circumstances, time of day, number of visitors, and how demanding they (or the patient) are. Also depends on the patient condition (if they or their roommate if in a shared room) are tired or very sick, well then they need their rest.

[dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN]

Our unit got rid of those very comfortable sleeping chairs (unless we have a pediatric burn -- then they magically materialize) and replaced them with simple, straight-back chairs for visitors. This seemed to stem the tide of family members camping out in patient rooms -- now they camp out in our waiting room, which was recently re-done and now has a kitchenette and computers (!) so everyone wants a piece of that action.

On the flip side, I work on a mixed population unit and it seems like everyone and their uncle's cousin wants to spend 24/7 with a patient who should be able to get along just fine on their own - but we have the hardest time trying to get family to stay 24/7 in the room of a baby or toddler. I've done night medications/assessments towing my two year-old patient in a wagon behind me because there was simply no one there to watch him.

[NayRN]

On Saturday, I noticed a large group of visitors at the end of the hallway with many chairs gathered in a circle talking and laughing loudly. It looked like a garden party or a red hat meeting or something. I mentioned it to the charge, and she went to ask them to quiet down. She came back and said "they are having a 70th anniversary down there." Really? Keep it down, there is someone dying in the next room. Thanks.

Visiting hours are not generally enforced on my floor. In general, I do not mind them being there. However, there are a few things that bug me. This has been discussed before, I am sure, but it seems to happen often where family will come in and want to stay with their family member and they will tell us that they have no money and demand meal trays and extra pillows, (but decline the suggestion of showering, toothpaste, and deodorant,) and "check my blood sugar, it feels low." I can understand emergency situations, but then there are the frequent flyers...

I had another one who was in for a dental abscess. Positive drug screen for meth. Boyfriend kept coming and going constantly, did not sleep for 2 days straight. Slept in bed with patient. Couldn't ask him to leave for the sake of customer service.

Or how about the family members who believe isolation precautions don't apply to them and share the bathroom with the c diff patient. Then they walk to the cafeteria, touch the handrails and the elevator buttons, etc. Hospital acquired infection anyone?