American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Provision of developmentally appropriate support for child visitors in adult intensive care units (ICUs) would benefit patients and young visitors. Research on best practices for child visitation in adult ICUs is limited. ⋯ Nurses were inconsistently open to child visitation. Exceptions for older children (> 6 years), children whose parent was the patient, patients' illness severity, and end of life allowed more child visitation. Ways to facilitate child-friendly visitation in adult ICUs are discussed.
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Increased nursing workload can be associated with decreased patient safety and quality of care. The associations between nursing workload, quality of care, and patient safety are not well understood. ⋯ Acknowledging the concepts of turbulence and workload separately best describes the full range of nursing demands. Improved measurement of nursing work is important to advance the science. A clearer understanding of nurses' work will enhance our ability to target resources and improve patients' outcomes.