Introduction: Family-centered care in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is endorsed by the Society of Critical Care Medicine.This ongoing effort (Project KIDDOS) aimed to determine the perceived impact of child visitation (CV) on the ICU staff in an adult ICU treating surgical, trauma, burn, and medical patients. Methods: Prior work focused on educational resources and support for CV and their caregivers throughout the ICU paradigm. Our multidisciplinary quality improvement team included a clinical education specialist, ICU nurses, an advanced practice provider, and physician representatives. Survey data from a 36-bed adult ICU at an urban, academic medical center was collected to assess the impact of CV on ICU staff. Summary statistics and graphical analysis were completed for the results obtained. Results: Our adult ICU receives more than 1,600 admissions each year, creating a significant need for family support. Prior data demonstrated CV at a rate of 1.72/weekdays and 3.23/weekends with ages ranging from 3 to 14 years old. Of 103 surveys completed, 40% were nursing staff, 20% core ICU ancillary staff (pharmacist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, etc.), 18% advance practice providers, 16% attending physicians, 7% physicians in training. 60% of the surveyed had greater than 5-years clinical experience in an ICU. 76% of the surveyed did not have professional experience in childcare, and 54% of surveyed perceived that they are not trained to accommodate CV. 49% perceive that CV will increase nursing workload. 60% perceive that CV will increase the spread of community acquired infections among patients. 42% believe that CV will negatively impact the child’s emotional wellbeing. 62% perceive that CV will improve patient and family satisfaction. Conclusions: CV is a frequent occurrence in our adult academic urban ICU and a dedicated support program is needed for family centered care. Future educational efforts should focus on staff perceptions of workload and spread of communicable disease. Staff perceive that CV will improve patient and family satisfaction with a minority perceiving a negative impact on the emotional well-being of child visitors. Future steps for Project KIDDOS include structured assessment of patients and families with children.
Gordon et al. (Sun,) studied this question.