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Child visitation policy and practice for maternity units
1Graduate Studies in Nursing, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, USA. hspear@liberty.edu
MCN. the American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing
|November 11, 2009
Summary
Hospital maternity units in the Southeast often restrict sibling and child visitation during labor but are more lenient postpartum. Policies are frequently not enforced, suggesting a need for review and updated evidence-based guidelines.
Area of Science:
- Maternal and Child Health
- Healthcare Policy
- Nursing Research
Background:
- Hospital visitation policies significantly impact family-centered care during childbirth.
- Sibling and child presence in maternity units raises considerations for infection control and family bonding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate current sibling and child visitation policies in southeastern U.S. hospital maternity units.
- To identify variations in intrapartum and postpartum visitation practices.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive telephone survey was conducted with nurse representatives from 69 hospitals.
- Data on sibling and child visitation policies were collected and analyzed using frequency distributions.
Main Results:
- Most hospitals (62.3%) restricted labor visitation to siblings only; 28.9% allowed open child visitation during labor.
- Postpartum visitation was less restrictive, with 82.6% of hospitals having open child visitation policies.
- Restrictive policies were often not enforced, and few hospitals screened children for illness before postpartum visits.
Conclusions:
- Nurses should evaluate and potentially revise or create new sibling and child visitation policies.
- Further research is needed to develop evidence-based guidelines for child and sibling visitation in maternity settings.
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