Hospital visiting policies – impacts on patients, families and staff: A review of the literature to inform decision making

Bélanger, Lynda; Bussières, Sylvain; Rainville, François; Coulombe, Martin; Desmartis, Marie

doi:10.5430/jha.v6n6p51

Cited by 33 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Therefore, the differences between the visiting policies for ordinary wards and special wards requires further study. [26][27][28] In conclusion, about three-fifths of the hospitals in Taiwan had posted their visiting policies for ordinary wards on their websites in the time of COVID-19 covered by this study. Furthermore, the thoroughness with which such visiting policies have been enforced also requires investigation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Hospital visiting policies in the time of coronavirus disease 2019: A nationwide website survey in Taiwan

Liu

Hsu

Lin

et al. 2020

Journal of the Chinese Medical Association

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Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious coronavirus disease, has become a worldwide pandemic. Infection control precautions for hospital visitors are needed to avoid cluster outbreaks, so this study investigated the visiting policies of all the hospitals in Taiwan in the time of COVID-19. Methods: From March 15, 2020, to March 18, 2020, we searched the official websites of all 472 National Health Insurancecontracted hospitals to determine their visiting policies. For those hospitals that had posted new visiting policies and still allowed visits to ordinary wards, we recorded the relevant details shown on their websites, including the number of visitors allowed at one time, the number of visiting slots per day, the total visiting hours per day, and the rules provided to visitors before visiting. Results: During the study period, 276 (58.5%) hospitals had posted new visiting policies on their websites, with higher proportions of academic medical centers (92.0%, 23/25) and metropolitan hospitals (91.5%, 75/82) than local community hospitals (48.8%, 178/365) doing so. Visits to ordinary wards were forbidden in 83 hospitals among those. Among the 193 hospitals that had new visiting policies and still allowed visits to ordinary wards, 73.1% (n = 141) restricted visitors to two at a time and 54.9% (n = 106) restricted visits to two visiting slots per day. Furthermore, history taking regarding travel, occupation, contacts, and cluster information was mentioned by 82.4% (n = 159) of these 193 hospitals, body temperature monitoring by 78.2% (n = 151), hand hygiene by 63.2% (n = 122), and identity checks by 51.8% (n = 100). Conclusion: In the time of COVID-19 covered by this study, about three-fifths of the hospitals in Taiwan had posted their visiting policies for ordinary wards on their websites. Furthermore, the thoroughness with which such visiting policies have been enforced also requires investigation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Hospital visiting policies in the time of coronavirus disease 2019: A nationwide website survey in Taiwan

Liu

Hsu

Lin

et al. 2020

Journal of the Chinese Medical Association

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“…For example, results from this study were an important lever to encourage our organization to join the Better Together Campaign, which encourages organizations to welcome family members 24/7 at the bedside. 21 Finally, the fact that these ideas resulted from an open conversation with our clientele resonated more strongly with leadership committees and will likely accelerate implementation of some of the suggested initiatives. Patient Experience Journal, Volume 5, Issue 1 -2018 Footnote a.…”

Section: ) Improve Physical Comfort For the Caregiver (Help Them Feementioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers and facilitators to family participation in the care of their hospitalized loved ones

Bélanger¹,

Desmartis²,

Coulombe³

2018

Patient Experience Journal

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This study's objective was to better understand family members' experiences in order to identify how healthcare organizations can facilitate their participation in the care of a hospitalized loved one. Eighteen individuals at the bedside of a hospitalized loved one were interviewed individually. Roles at the bedside and factors that facilitated their participation or represented barriers were examined. A qualitative analysis using a mixed inductive/deductive approach was performed. Reassurance and emotional support, as well as sharing information with the healthcare team emerged as main roles. Quality and timeliness of the information received about the patient's condition, prognosis and changes in medical condition, as well as information on how to participate in their care, were the factors most frequently evoked as facilitating participation. On the other hand, the need to improve communication channels and access to doctors were highlighted. Most family members having no prior knowledge or exposure to healthcare environments reported feeling overwhelmed in this foreign environment. Among the suggestions on how to improve their experience, having a wellidentified contact person who liaises with them and who can instruct them on how to participate in care during hospitalization and back at home was frequently suggested. Furthermore, many mentioned that recognizing the experiential knowledge they have of the patient allows for more holistic care and contributes to improve both patient and family experience. Families need to be adequately recognized and supported and have access to information in a timely manner so that their contribution to their loved one's care is maximized and the burden associated with this stressful experience alleviated.

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“…Some health organizations recommend adopting an open visiting policy, with the aim of promoting the idea that patients and families can be true partners in care. They consider it an essential step in this change of culture that involves an openness to the presence of the family and their involvement in patient care [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although nurses recognize the importance of partnership with families, this is not always translated into the nursing practice [22]. Some professionals consider family visits to be a cause of potential risks and difficulties, an obstacle to care, a reason to fear increased workload, and a risk to care safety [17, 24, 25]. Overcrowded spaces are also pointed out as a consequence of the presence of the family that has an impact on the performance of health professionals [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Family and Safety of the Hospitalized Patient: An Integrative Literature Review

Correia¹,

Martins²,

Barroso³

2020

Port J Public Health

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Framework: Considering that the current data on health care safety remain alarming, there is an overwhelming urge for the ongoing study of this topic and for recommendations and differentiated strategies which aim to promote health and which prove effective. Some recommendations have been taken into consideration, such as patient-centered care, and consequently the need for greater involvement of patient and family in this process. However, we have identified arguments for and against the involvement of family in the care process, and consequently a greater or lesser openness towards hospital visits. Objective: What are the implications of the presence of family for the safety of hospitalized patients? What does the science say about these implications? Methods: We conducted an integrative literature review by referring to the Web of Science, CINAHL, Medline, and Scopus databases, according to the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute for scoping review. Results: We found 115 articles. After selection, 13 articles were included in this review. There were 6 qualitative studies, 5 quantitative studies, and 2 literature reviews. Data were grouped according to: the perspective of patients and their families, the health professionals’ perspective, and statistical evidence. Conclusion: Families take efforts to protect the safety of hospitalized patients but feel unprepared; a lack of follow-up was reported. Some health professionals claim that the presence of the family can increase the risks for patient safety and the fear of an increased workload. The evidence of the presence of the family and its link to the safety of the hospitalized patient demonstrated that this relationship is not yet well understood. There were limited findings about this in the current literature. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Structured interventions about family integration in ensuring the safety of hospitalized patients may have the potential to contribute to the safety of health care.

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Hospital visiting policies – impacts on patients, families and staff: A review of the literature to inform decision making

Cited by 33 publications

References 20 publications

Hospital visiting policies in the time of coronavirus disease 2019: A nationwide website survey in Taiwan

Hospital visiting policies in the time of coronavirus disease 2019: A nationwide website survey in Taiwan

Barriers and facilitators to family participation in the care of their hospitalized loved ones

The Family and Safety of the Hospitalized Patient: An Integrative Literature Review

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