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Open Visiting Hours and Effects on Patient Outcomes
Cai, Tina DiTaranto, Drew Hashem, Emily
Cai, Tina
DiTaranto, Drew
Hashem, Emily
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Genre
Poster (Research)
Date
2017
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Department
Nursing
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DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/9110
Abstract
The purpose of this project is to examine existing research in order to determine whether or not visiting hours can affect patient outcomes, either positively or negatively, on critical care units. Visitation practices and policies, and the way they are implemented are different at most facilities. Of the six articles chosen for this study, most agree that open visiting hours do not have negative outcomes on patient care, but that they do not necessarily lead to more positive outcomes either. Several articles agree that restrictive visiting hour policies can increase patient and family stress levels, and that open/flexible visiting hour policies seemed to reduce these stress levels and provide for better communication between healthcare teams and patient families. Some articles also agree that most opposition to open/unrestricted visiting hours came from nurses and other staff who believed the policies would interfere with their ability to provide patient care and maintain the patients’ right to privacy throughout the course of their hospitalization. While more high quality research studies, such as RCTs, should be done on the subject, the consensus of the articles reviewed in this project is that open/flexible visitation policies lead to increased patient and family satisfaction, and that patient and family needs should be reviewed on an individualized basis in order to provide the best possible care.
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