Open Visitation

Paper Summary:

This paper offers a literature review of ten documents regarding the open visitation in the critical care/intensive care unit. The paper discusses the concepts of open visitation in various areas of care and explores nursing concerns about the practice. The paper also includes research studies that have measured the practice, the present day situation regarding the topic and the future of open visitation.

From the Paper:

"Open visitation in critical care units is a topic that is consistently debated within the medical community. Since the inception of hospital visitation practices in the 1960s medical professionals have been struggling to implement policies that benefit both the critically ill patient and the medical teams that provide their health care needs. Multiple factors are taken into consideration when studying open visitation in the health care arena. Factors affecting open visitation policies may include the lack of nursing training to handle psychological effects on the family unit; the benefits of open visitation for the patient; the benefits of open visitation for the family members; and the effects on the hospital and nursing staff of allowing open visitation. (Cullen, Titler, & Drahozal, 2003)."

More papers on Open Visitation :

• Research Paper # 94810 : "Visiting Hours in the Intensive Care Unit"
• Argumentative Essay # 68322 : "Conjugal Prison Visits"
• Narrative Essay # 25808 : "Visiting Chinatown"

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