What are your ICU visitation hours???

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Specializes in Author/Business Coach.

I work days in a Neuro ICU and have visiting hours 10hrs on my shift...from 8am to 6pm. Families stress me out! I could get a whole lot more work done if we just limited the ICU visitation to let's say 4 hrs...You'd think after having brain surgery you woulndn't want someone all over the bed raising your pts. BP. 10 hrs on end.

How long is everyone elses visiting hours in their unit?

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Our visiting hours are 9am-9:30, 12-12:30 5-5:30 8-8:30 Even thats to many. We are trying so hard for locked doors, but the hospital isn't budging.

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Specializes in Author/Business Coach.

OMG!!! I love it! I could seriously go for 1 1/2hrs visitation on my shift! The only unit in my hospital that has hours like that is CV recovery. I'm tempted to transfer in 6mths because of that. (And for the experience)

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Our visiting hours are from 12-3 and 6-8. Of course these tend to be loosely followed the longer the patient is in the unit. We do try to inforce these and most nurses don't have a problem asking family to step outside when needed.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

We have an open ICU. Technically there's a placard on the wall that says to avoid visiting during shift changes, but families come and go as they want. We enforce getting people out of the room on a case by case basis, and except for short visits we tell families that only two people can stay in the room.

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Specializes in ICU.

Heh heh.. I have the ideal situation.

10a-12p, 2p-4p, 5-6p & 830-10p.

We have locked doors and a locked unit.

Some persk to working in a trauma ICU.

;)

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Specializes in cardiac ICU.

We have a 32 bed unit (full capacity). The only times we DON'T allow visitors are from 6:30 to 9 - am and pm. Since we have a face-to-face report at the pods, we do this to avoid anyone accidental (or deliberate) eavesdropping and protect patient confidentiality. We do limit visitors to 2 at a time (although I tend not to count the spouse/significant other) and no one is allowed to sleep in the room overnight with the patient unless 1)the patient is either combative/agitated and the presence of family helps or 2) we have withdrawn care and the family is at bedside waiting for the patient to pass. When we originally looked into expanding the hours to the present ones, we kept coming across references that something to the effect of "There are no studies which show that visitation negatively affects the patient." and "Many studies show that having family visit affects the patient positively."

We all gripe about families, but they will forever be a drain on us and our resources. They are essentially parts of our patients and feel frustration in not being able to do anything to make their loved ones better. We have usurped their places as caregivers and they have never met us before that admission. They are often scared we are not telling them everything. Dateline, 20/20, et al have convinced them there are potentially fatal medical errors everywhere one can look and we do everything we can to hide the existence of those errors. Our first tool in making them (visitors) less of an obstacle is keeping them informed (to the very limits of HIPAA) and not blocking their access to their loved ones. There will always be ones that are living proof of the old axiom "Give them an inch and they will take a mile." They will complain to patient relations even when we have kissed every @ss that has walked in for a visit. Hopefully, our smiles and attentive care to their loved ones will keep them from being too intrusive and obnoxious.

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Specializes in CVICU.

CVICU -

Locked Doors

10a-6p

8p - 9p

2 visitors at a time.

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Specializes in Cardiac ICU/SICU/MICU/Trauma ICU.

10a-11a

1p-2p

5p-6p

9p-10p

SICU

locked doors during other hours with badge-only access

2 visitor limit

i don't think it's bad at all

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Specializes in cardiac ICU.

I envy you guys who work units with locked access a tiny bit. Our floorplan doesn't allow for that. The only access/exit to our visitors lobby is via elevator. Due to fire codes, the doors between the lobby and our unit cannot be locked because they would then not have access to stairs should there be a fire.

For those of you with tightly restricted visitation, I do have a question: Do your physicians avoid the unit during visiting hours? I can think of several we have on staff that would do just that, leaving the RNs (and the charts) as the only source of info for the visitors' questions.

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Specializes in Critical care, Trauma.

First I would like to thank everyone. :bowingpur I can not believe I found this site. I do not feel alone in the questions I have and not knowing where to find the answers. Thanks again to ALL

We have a 14 bed ICU/CCU and it is a free for all 24/7.

Talk about added STRESS. Our former CEO thought it would be good. WELL>>>>>>>it does delay care to the other patients because Susie q's family thinks Susie is the only one that is ill.

I would like to go back to structured times except when the patient is going to pass.

:yeah:

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Specializes in MICU/SICU.

MICU/SICU: 6 a.m. till midnight, except for 7 a.m.- 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. when MDs round. Ridiculous. I wish they'd modify it.

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