If you're a travel nurse working in an ER or ICU setting, or even in standard inpatient and outpatient environments, there is a strong chance you will have to communicate on some level with hospital visitors. Whether they are close friends or family, visitors need to be treated with the same respect and dignity that you already show your patients.
What's more, hospital visitors are actually a huge key in patient outcomes. Studies have shown that when patients have the opportunity to interact with their loved ones, it reduces their stress and anxiety, reduces their length of stay, reduces cardiovascular issues and allows the patient to feel more secure overall.
Your job as a nurse is to work toward improving patient outcomes, and this includes communication with hospital visitors, as they are valuable to patient success. Additionally, in more serious instances when a patient cannot speak for themselves, proper communication between medical personnel and certain hospital visitors is crucial.
However, there are some rules that nurses and doctors must follow to keep patients safe and allow visitors to make the most of their time with their loved one.
Unrestricted access: In ICU areas, it's important that one family member or friend is the designated support person for the patient. This individual is integral for emotional and physical support – however, it is important that you keep the patient's preferences in mind first.
Make sure that visitors stay healthy: Hospitals are generally very clean places, but they aren't immune to germs. Because patients are using all of their energy to feel better, it's crucial that visitors refrain from visiting if they are suffering from colds or the flu. You should also remind visitors to wash their hands well and use hand sanitizer before and after entering patient rooms.
Give friendly reminders about visiting hours: Visiting hours can vary, especially if you're taking on a travel nursing assignment in the ICU or orthopedic wing. Be sure that you stay informed about the organization's visiting hours. While these should already be posted throughout the hospital, be sure that visitors get a friendly update from you as well.
Be cautious about flowers or balloons: Gifts are an excellent way to lift a patient's spirits, but you should be wary of other patients' allergic sensitivity to flowers or balloons, as these can cause severe histamine reactions in some people. When patients have decreased appetite due to medications or anesthesia recovery, their sensitivity to these objects only increases.
Remind family members that they need TLC too: It's important to remind family members that once their loved one is released from the hospital, they will need their energy to care for them. As such, it is important for visitors to get a good night's rest and sticking to healthy habits.
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