Family member visitation in the intensive care unit setting should be flexible and open. This may include tailoring a plan on admission with the family to allow open access to the patient during times when they are most available; thus, each family has a plan that suits its unique dynamics.

The purpose of this study was to determine critically ill patients' satisfaction and preference with the restricted visiting hours in the critical-care units in a 435-bed acute-care hospital in North Carolina. The major aims of the study were to (1) identify the time that most patients preferred for visitation and (2) identify how often patients wanted to have visitors. This article discusses the findings of this study, one of which is that patients want more control over visitation.