VARIATIONS IN FAMILY VISITING POLICIES IN NEONATAL INTENSIVE-CARE UNITS IN 11 EC COUNTRIES

The paper addresses the lack of information concerning parental visiti ng in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) across European Community ( EC) countries. It reports on a study involving 11 EC countries and 38 units carried out under the auspices of a Concerted Action project. In formation gathered from the 38 units yields data on the parental and f amily visiting policies. The study reveals a wide variation in the pol icies from considerable parental access to the infant in the NICU to r estricted visiting. Policies concerned with unit facilities and unit s upport staff reflect the orientation of the overall unit policy with r egard to visiting.