Hcs/587 Changing Open Visitation in Intensive Care

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Changing open visitation in Intensive Care Patients need their family involvement to help with the healing process. Keeping family visitation available to patients and family decreases stress level and can improve healing. Intensive care, “however”, is a different environment which visitation can actually impair healing when the patient acuity is high.
Giving nurses the power to decide on visitation for ICU patients would be an effective change to the open visitation policy currently in place. Visitation policy in ICU setting should be to the nurse’s discretion, each patient is different and has different needs to be met. Patient safety is the first priority for the nurse caring for the patient. ICU has a diverse group of patients; neuro minimal stimulation patients, multisystem trauma, fresh coronary artery bypass graft patients and those getting ready to go the floor needing assistance walking the hall. This diversity should be taken into consideration, when allowing visitors in the room. (Nursing perception of open visitation pgs 1, 6).
Examine the need in the organization for your proposed change.
The current policy in place ensures that patients visitation shall not be restricted limited or otherwise denied by the hospital in any area or department. All visitors shall enjoy full and equal visitation privelages consisteenty with the patients preferences (NWTHS integrated manual).
Each patient in ICU has different needs and levels of aquity that determines the amount of visitors he or she can have(DELETE). Family dynamics can be another issue to take into consideration.
Nurses in ICU are the gate keepers and should have the freedom to choose how many visitors, who can visit, and when they can visit based on the status of the patient. Setting strict visitation hours in intensive care setting is not necessary, but limiting the amount of

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