Visiting preferences of cardiovascular patients

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Patient Experience
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Hospitalized cardiovascular patients' experiences can be influenced by social support.
• Visitor policies in critical care settings vary, impacting patient well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare patient preferences for visitors between cardiac intensive care units (CICU) and cardiac step-down units (SDU).
• To understand how visitors impact patient perception of care and stress during hospitalization for cardiovascular events.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study using the "Patient's Perception of Visits in the Hospital" questionnaire.
• Survey administered to 63 CICU patients and 61 SDU patients hospitalized for cardiovascular events.

Main Results:

• CICU patients found visitors more valuable for information interpretation, emotional support, and care assistance.
• SDU patients perceived visitors as disruptive to rest and potentially intensifying pain.
• No significant difference in total stressor scores, but CICU patients worried more about visitor travel.

Conclusions:

• Patient preferences for visitors differ significantly between CICU and SDU settings.
• Optimizing visiting policies may enhance patient experience and support in cardiovascular care.
• Unlimited visiting hours with some restrictions on children and visitor numbers are generally preferred.