Historically, intensive care units have imposed stringent limits on visiting hours for family members. But more hospitals have begun to lift the restrictions and allow loved ones to come and go at all hours, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Hospitals have traditionally limited visiting hours to the ICU to give patients time to rest and allow staff to work without interruption. But some providers are rethinking these rules as research has found that more visitors may lead to better outcomes for intensive care patients and higher satisfaction ratings for their family members.
Pamela Bell, director of patient and family-centered care at Ridgewood, New Jersey's Valley Hospital, helped lift the restrictions at her organization after she had trouble visiting her partner at a Boston ICU, according to the article.
Initially, the move to open visitation was met with resistance from intensive care nurses, who are already at particular risk of burnout. But the nurses came to realize ICU patients “do better when families are at the bedside holding their hand or being there,” Bettyann Kempin, an assistant vice president who oversees Valley’s ICU, told the WSJ. “You will see a calm come over them. Their vital signs look a little better."
Clinicians at Erlanger Health Systen in Chattanooga, Tennessee also noticed patients and families were happier when they expanded the visitation hours in its adult intensive care unit. Instead of three, 30-minute time slots, visitors now have 16 straight hours of time each day when they may visit. Family members are thrilled they can now leave work during their lunch hours to visit instead of having to wait for limited time blocks.
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