The needs of children visiting on adult intensive care units: a review of the literature and recommendations for practice

Aim. The purpose of this paper is to review the current literature and rese arch available and to identify specific, nursing interventions to meet the needs of child visiting within the ICU setting. Background. According to recent surveys children are still restricted from visiting their critically ill family and friends on many adult intensive ca re units (ICUs) within the United Kingdom (UK). Imposing restrictive visiti ng policies does not respect the rights of patients and their families to b e together and to support each other during a period of stress and crisis. Method. The motivation to undertake the study was derived from a critical i ncident involving a small boy who was nor allowed to visit his critically i ll mother. She subsequently died. Reflection on the available literature id entified the value and role of intuition in expert clinical judgement, hut the need to support this with evidence based knowledge. Conclusion. The implications for practice are discussed and recommendations for further research are made.