New visiting policy: A step toward nursing ethics

Patients' rights arise from their expectations of the healthcare system, which are rooted in their needs. Visitation is seen as a necessary need for patients and families in intensive care units.

The authors attempted to design, implement, and evaluate a new visiting policy in the intensive care units.

This study was an action research, including two qualitative and quantitative approaches.

The viewpoints of 51 participants (patients, families, doctors, nurses, and guards) on how to change the limited visiting policy were explained through semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The new visiting policy (contractual visitation) was designed, implemented, and evaluated with the involvement of participants.

The hospital ethics committee approval was gained and the informed consent was obtained from all the participants.

The content of interviews was analyzed and classified into four categories: advantages and disadvantages of visiting policies, and barriers and facilitators of changing the limited visiting policy. After implementation of the new policy (contractual visitation), a significant difference observed in satisfaction status before and after the changes (p value < 0.001).

Nowadays, many countries' clinical guidelines recommend flexible visiting policy, which is consistent with the results of this study.

Changing the limited visiting policy was a necessary need for patients and families that established with the involvement of them and staff.