Issues in intensive care visiting

In order to obtain a contemporary view of the visiting hour regimes in intensive care units (ICUs) in the UK, a national telephone survey was performed. 122 geographically representative units were contacted, representing 42% of the total number of units in the UK. 107 units gave consent to participate in the study, of which 66 units allowed visiting at any time of the day. Many of these units however restricted the number or kind of visitors and only 19% could be regarded as having 'true' open visiting, that is, visiting at any time of the day for any age of child, any member of the family, or friends. Several of the topics arising from the study are discussed in more detail, for example the childhood risk of infection and/or psychological trauma and the needs of the family. Based on the available research evidence, a more liberated view of hospital visiting is necessary, with relaxation of what often amount to restricted visiting regimes. Several recommendations for further research are made.