A Look at Critical Care Visitation

In Brief The topic of critical care visitation has been researched and discussed over the past 25 years and still remains controversial. There still remain many concerns over the benefits of open or flexible visitation. A review of some research conducted in the past several years, perceived barriers to open visitation, and the benefits will be presented in this article. The purpose of this study was to identify the stressors intensive care unit nurses perceived as the most prevalent within their work setting. The study also identified the types of coping mechanisms used by nurses in these settings.