ATTITUDES ABOUT SIBLING VISITATION IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE-CARE UNIT

Objective: To survey the attitudes and recommendations of staff member s before and after the implementation of sibling visitation in a neona tal intensive care unit. Design: Staff survey conducted before (1992) and after (1993) the implementation of sibling visitation. Setting: A perinatal tertiary care center. Participants: Staff members including physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, social workers, and unit c lerks (n=139 in 1992; n=120 in 1993). Measurements and Main Results: A 7-point Likert scale survey (1=strongly disagree; 7=strongly agree) w as designed for the study. In both 1992 and 1993, the staff most stron gly agreed that visitation requires special supervision, should have d esignated times, increases sibling knowledge, enhances sibling attachm ent to the baby, and increases family satisfaction. Wilcoxon rank sum tests comparing the staff across the 2 years indicated substantial att itudinal changes in favor of sibling visitation, including less percei ved interference with nursing care and nursery routines (P<.01) and le ss concern about the infants' risk of respiratory infection and exposu re to chickenpox (P<.05). There was greater attitudinal agreement betw een disciplines in 1993 than in 1992, suggesting better staff consensu s about sibling visitation following its implementation. The recommend ed minimum age for visitation was 4.67 )rears and 4.05 years in 1992 a nd 1993, respectively. Brief visits of 10 to 15 minutes' duration were consistently recommended. Staff rated the sibling visitation program as successful (median=6) on a scale ranging from 1 (very poor) to 7 (v ery successful). Conclusions: Staff members have concerns about siblin g visitation that include increased risk of infection, organization, a nd supervision. A sibling visitation program that addresses these conc erns can be successfully implemented and supported by staff, thereby f ostering family-centered care in the neonatal intensive care unit.