• Geraldine C Fike, Marilyn Smith-Stoner, Dawn I Blue, and Alham A Abuatiq.
• California State University, San Bernardino, California gfike@csusb.edu.
• J Dr Nurs Pract. 2018 Oct 1; 11 (2): 169-174.

BackgroundFew topics have existed for decades and created as much of a debate as when discussing appropriate visitation policies for patients. Studies have continued to document the conflicted opinions of nurses to commit to fully open visiting hours for various reasons. Family members are very definite in their desire to be at their loved one's bedside.ObjectiveTo review the visiting policies of acute care hospitals in California and compare them to the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses recommendations.MethodsThis descriptive study collected data from California acute care hospital websites about critical care visiting hours to assess visiting hours and the type, age, and number of visitors.ResultsReview of 363 hospital websites demonstrated a wide variation in policies when listed. Those that did post their visitation rules had no consistent policies regarding visiting hours or age, relationship, or number of visitors.ConclusionsHospital visitation policies in California are inconsistent and not evenly enforced. They do not reflect current evidence and practice guidelines.Implications For NursingEthics require the nurses to advocate for their patient. In this role, nurses need to become proactive in implementing policy changes in their institution based on current evidence and practice guidelines.© 2018 Springer Publishing Company, LLC.

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