Parental survey about sibling’s visitation in pediatric intensive care units

To assess the parents’ perspectives on sibling’s visitation in Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs). A cross-sectional survey conducted in three French PICUs. A total of 109 questionnaires were completed. Most of the participating parents had one or more other children, usually older than 8 years-old ( n = 78, 78%). Most ( n = 82, 79%) were informed about the global visiting policies in the PICU. Forty-eight (54%) participants reported that visits by family members other than siblings were permitted. Twenty-nine (31%) parents reported that siblings were allowed to visit according to the unit policy. Most of those siblings who visited were older than 8 years-old ( n = 36, 68%) and only five (8%) of them were accompanied by a professional for the first visit (missing data n = 43). We found that parents of children admitted to PICUs were often unaware of the visitation policies for siblings. Even when they were aware, sibling visits were permitted in only half of the cases.