Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Committee Chair

Cindy Miller

Abstract

The Intensive Care Unit has been known to be fast paced, stressful, and at times a loud atmosphere. Being a nurse in the ICU can be intimidating and being a patient can be frightening. Critically ill patients require close monitoring and supervision by the nursing staff. Many different aspects of care are crucial to the patients' recovery. Family members are an important part of a critically ill individual's recuperation. Different factors have an effect on the level of stress that a patient may experience while in the hospital. Critical Care Nurses were given a questionnaire to determine the beliefs and attitudes related to open visitation. The Beliefs and Attitudes Toward Visitation in ICU Questionnaire was used (BAVIQ). Forty-nine registered intensive care unit nurses volunteered to participate in the study. Those same nurses' viewpoints about concerns regarding patient care, family, and patient outcomes were examined. Results showed that nurses strongly agree that open visitation has a beneficial effect on the patient, and that visitation must be adapted for a patient's emotional needs or if the patient is dying. Those nurses also agree that open visitation hinders direct patient care but decreases the family member's anxiety.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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