Preparing Children for Visiting Parents in the Adult ICU

Family Visitation in the Adult Intensive Care Unit

“…These biases are not grounded in evidence or based on the patient's or the child's actual needs. 8,[42][43][44] Rather, when allowed to visit relatives in the ICU, properly prepared children exhibit less negative behavior and fewer emotional changes than do children who do not visit. [45][46][47][48] It is recommended that children be allowed to visit unless they carry contagious illnesses.…”

Visita de crianças em unidade de terapia intensiva

“…(10) In France, 54% allowed children from eight years-old on, and in Swiss, 66% of the ICUs had no restrictions. (5) The restrictions to children visits to adult ICUs are often based on the fear of exposing the child to hospital infection, (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7) However there is no literature evidence of this. In a multicenter quantitative trial (11) aimed to understand the reasons provided by the teams for restricting children visits to adult ICUs, 36% answered that their main reason was fear of infection.…”

“…However, some of these respondents mentioned that both physicians and nurses use this explanation to disguise a certain emotional unpreparedness to deal with children who have severely ill relatives in the unity. Other authors, (3,7,11) mention that the team is not able to deal with these visits emotional requirements.…”

“…Most of the hospitals regulations only allow adolescents' visits, however some healthcare professionals are more sensitive to this matter and during their shifts allow children to see their loved ones. This decision is sometimes disliked by other team members, who can argument that the child will be exposed to hospital infection, can be emotionally traumatized or harmed, (2,7) and that he/she is not yet able to understand either disease or death.…”

“…By visiting a critically ill patient, the child takes part in the family reality, and will be able to understand the family routine and behavior changes. (7) There is a consensus that children experience fear and anxiety, frightened by their relative possible death in the ICU, and there is evidence that these symptoms intensity is reduced when a visit is allowed. (9) Therefore, this article is intended to present a literature review and propose a routine for children visits to adult ICU.…”