Health care visitation
Reply
Good idea from Elizabeth. COVID 19 has indeed influenced health care visitation due to fear of the spread of the disease. Patients are now spending time with nurses only in their isolation, giving them hope of healing. All in all, there should be a policy governing clinical visitations. Policies like visiting hours should be implemented to ensure that visitors do not interfere with clinical activities. Not all the time, visitors should be allowed to health care facilities. Some family members are emotionally and cannot withstand watching their members going through surgery (Bélanger et al. 2017). Therefore, visitors should keep off from theater during such times and wait until doctors are done with them. As a nurse, we are called to bring hope to the lives of patients. Therefore we should be their closest friends to strengthen them and encourages them always.
In response to your question Elizabeth, I have experience of being present when a patient undergoes a diagnostic procedure. Indeed, it is one way of changing the patient physiological setting and assuring them they will overcome it all. Being present helps the patient to stop brainstorming and avoiding much stress (Bryant, 2017).
References
Bélanger, L., Bussières, S., Rainville, F., Coulombe, M., & Desmartis, M. (2017). Hospital visiting policies-impacts on patients, families and staff: A review of the literature to inform decision making. J Hosp Adm, 6(6), 51-62.
Bryant, C. R. (2017). From the Top Down: Assisting Critical Care Nurses in Coping with Job Stresses.