From visiting hours to gift-giving, nurses share what’s appropriate, and what’s not, for hospital visitors
By Joan Fox Rose, RN, MS, contributor
May 4, 2015 – “Mannerly visitors are respectful of others when interacting with patients, other visitors and staff members they may meet at a hospital,” said Diane Bartos, MS, RN, NEA-BC, director of intensive care services at the 207-bed Saratoga Hospital and Nursing Home located in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., a Magnet hospital¹ since 2004.
“From a visitor’s perspective, we try to tailor our care to meet patients’ needs because family visitors are important to patients and to us,” she continued. “Saratoga Hospital fosters a culture of shared decision making, and family members are typically more aware of their loved one’s baseline health status, and are able to share patient information with us that we weren’t aware of.”
Maggie Urquhart, BS, RN-BC, said that hospital visitors should honor visiting hours and not stay too long, being sensitive to the condition of the patient.
Bartos pointed out that hospitals may have different visitor policies based on the size of their rooms and other related issues. “Some of our rooms are very small, so it’s difficult to maintain confidentiality as well as to get to the bedside to care for patients,” she explained. “We generally limit the number of visitors to two at a time for our patients’ comfort. Additionally, we maintain generous visiting hours, including a 24-hour visitor policy in our intensive care unit.”
“We also have a 24- hour, seven-days-a-week open visitation policy for our inpatient orthopedic unit/ total joint center,” added Maggie Urquhart, BS, RN-BC, the center’s nurse manager. Urquhart is employed by St. Peter’s, a 422-bed hospital in Albany, N.Y., a Magnet hospital since 2005. “We ask patients to have a visitor advocate with them for pre-surgical appointments and time of surgery; a family member who will assist in their recovery. Our view on our unit is that we are in partnership with visitors.”
While most hospital visitors have good intentions, they may be unaware that some choices could be detrimental to the patient. But nurses can provide helpful assistance.
10 tips for hospital visitors, from nurses in the know:
1. Ask patients or families when it’s a good time for a visit. Patients may be not want a visit as they are not feeling well, or are tired and want to rest.
2. Be aware of visiting hours and follow them, and keep abreast of visiting policies for speciality units like ICU or orthopedics.
3. Use good infection-control practices and don’t visit when you are feeling sick or have a cold.
“Use available hand sanitizers before entering patient rooms and when leaving them,” Bartos advised.
4. When visiting, don’t bring gifts of food or drink. “It’s better for patients if you leave them at home,” she added.
5. Avoid gifts of flowers or latex balloons, as patients or their roommates may have allergies to some types of flowers and plants. They may also have sensitivity to latex balloons. “Sometimes flowers may be detrimental to patients’ recovery as they might have a hypersensitivity to any kind of smell due to not eating or drinking as much as they did at home, taking pain medication or having had anesthesia,” Urquhart said. Avoid wearing perfume or smoking before patient visits.
6. Be aware of patients’ health conditions and limit visiting time based on their responses. Use good judgment and don’t stay too long.
7. Family visitors need to take care of themselves when loved ones are hospitalized, Bartos said. “Take time to rest and relax because when your loved one is released from the hospital, you probably will be needed to help out at home.”
8. Be positive in all conversations with patients; they don’t need a grocery list of your problems.
9. Address any questions about care to the attending staff, but be aware that not all visitors can have access to medical information. “We cannot provide patient information for all visitors unless they are patient advocates or health care proxies,” Urquhart explained.
10. Avoid bringing children to a hospital, unless it’s necessary, and please leave patients’ animals at home.
¹The American Nurses Credentialing Center awards hospitals with a Magnet status based on excellence in nursing care.
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