Nurses' Perspectives on Flexible Visitation in Adult and Neonatal Critical Care Units

Learner Objectives:

Attendees will identify and describe nurses’ perspectives on flexible visitation in the adult and neonatal ICUs and suggestions on how to incorporate them into nursing practice.

Significance:

Although flexible visitation practices have been found to promote critical care patients’ psychosocial, emotional, an spiritual well-being, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses confirmed that only 14% of adult ICUs allowed flexible visitation at all times. Family centered care is commonly promoted in neonatal intensive care units (NICU), but the few studies found on visitation practices in NICUs noted that few actually practice flexible visitation.

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to identify nurses’ perspectives on flexible visitation in adult and neonatal ICUs and describe nurses’ suggestions for successful implementation of flexible visitation in the adult and neonatal NICUs.

Methods:

A comparative descriptive design was used. The Theory of Reasoned Action guided the development of a questionnaire and data collection. A total of 62 nurses (31 from the adult ICU and 31 from the NICU) in a 255 bed community hospital participated in the study.

Results:

Perspectives among ICU and NICU nurses regarding appropriate visitation policies and obstacles to flexible visitation policies differed significantly. Nurses from both units agreed on many suggestions for successful implementation of flexible visitation policies. Significant relationships among years of critical care experience, perceived obstacles to flexible visitation, and suggestions for implementation of flexible visitation policies were identified.