Women's and Nurses' Perceptions of Visitor Restrictions After Childbirth During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Christine Elling, Martha Rider Sleutel, JoNell Wells and 4 others
PMID 35697080WHAT IT FOUND
Women giving birth during visitor restrictions described mixed experiences.
Some valued fewer interruptions and bonding; others missed family or siblings. Nurses reported more time for care but noted restrictions can reduce needed support.
Key findings
01Women's open-ended comments were fairly evenly split between negative and positive views of visitor restrictions, and many participants conveyed both.
02Nurses reported that fewer visitors gave them more time for care and teaching, but also said restrictions can reduce family and social support when needed.
03Three women's survey items predicted acceptance of visitor restrictions: belief about lower COVID risk, preference that family and friends not be present, and ability to breastfeed without distractions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Single medium-size community hospital in the southwestern United States. Only 118 of 674 eligible women completed the survey, a response rate of 18%. The visitation policy changed during the study period, and about half of respondents were from the one-visitor time frame. Self-report surveys and convenience sampling can introduce bias. Both surveys were investigator-developed and had no established reliability or validity. Limited demographic information was collected. Only English-speaking participants were included, so the findings may not apply elsewhere. The study measured perceptions, not clinical outcomes for women, babies or families.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the nurses' agreement that restrictions led to better patient outcomes as evidence that they did. The study measured perceptions, not clinical outcomes, and women's comments were split between positive and negative experiences.