Family members' beliefs and attitudes towards visiting policy in the intensive care units of Ghana.
Yakubu H Yakubu, Maryam Esmaeili, Elham Navab
PMID 30918703WHAT IT FOUND
Ghanaian ICU families valued open visiting but wanted clear limits: patient approval, capped visit length and numbers, and one visitor at a time.
Key findings
01Most family members believed visitation was beneficial, but they wanted the patient to approve the visitation list and wanted limits on visit length and number of visitors.
02Family members held restrictive attitudes towards open visiting: they supported limiting visitors at a time and opposed adapting the policy to the patient's culture or ethnicity.
03Beliefs were related to religion, education and family status; attitudes were related to family status and education.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used convenience sampling and only four ICUs, so it may not represent all Ghanaian families. Only 146 of 200 family members completed the questionnaire; the authors note this 73% response rate is lower than the 90% suggested in the literature. The questionnaire was adapted from a nurse-focused instrument, although the authors state the changes did not alter reliability or validity. The study reported self-reported beliefs and attitudes, not patient outcomes or the effect of a visiting policy. The largest metropolitan hospital was not included because ethical clearance was difficult, which may limit generalisation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that open ICU visiting improves patient outcomes or should be adopted without limits. Families supported the idea of visitation but preferred patient approval, capped visit length, and fewer visitors at a time.