Nurses' perceptions of open visiting hours in neuroscience intensive care unit.
A quality improvement project was undertaken by Neuro-ICU nurses to determine possible effects from open visitation. From a quality improvement perspective, nurses' concerns were investigated along with their perceptions about open visitation to determine a need for visitation policy revision. Vast variability in nurses' interpretation and implementation of individualized open visitation policy suggested a need for the following: staff education about the policy and its implementation, a review of the literature to determine the validity of concerns about deleterious physiologic effects on neuroscience patients from visitation, and improved communication among nurses about visitation.
Livesay
Sarah
S
Neuroscience ICU, St Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston, Tex, USA.
Gilliam
Alicia
A
Mokracek
Marilyn
M
Sebastian
Sherly
S
Hickey
Joanne V
JV
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000451:nursing*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D016134:Organizational Policy; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D013781:Texas; D014789:Visitors to Patients