Open visitation in the NICU: nurses’ perspectives on barriers and facilitators

Abstract Objective This study aimed to investigate the nurses’ perspectives on open family visitation and its barriers and facilitators in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Methods This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study. A total of 113 nurses employed in 3 main NICUs of Tabriz participated in the study through the census sampling method. Nurses’ perspectives on open visitation and its facilitators and barriers were assessed and analyzed using the Beliefs and Attitudes toward Visitation in NICU Questionnaire (BAVNIQ) and descriptive and analytical statistics, respectively. Results Approximately 74% of the nurses who participating in the study had a moderate perspective on open visitation. From the nurses’ viewpoint, “Parents’ low awareness of sensitivity and hygienic principles of the NICU” was the first (90.3%) barrier, and the 2 factors, namely, “physical structure of the ward/lack of sufficient space” and “far distance between family’s residence and the hospital/having another child,” were the second (86.8%) barrier with an equal percentage. Among the facilitating factors, “Supporting employed parents during the neonate’s hospitalization” and “providing facilities for family accommodation in the hospital” were the first (82.3%) and the second (79.6%) facilitators, respectively, for open visitation. Conclusions The majority of NICU nurses had a moderate perspective on the family open visitation. This reluctance seems to be originated mainly from the factors inhibiting open visitation, making its implementation challenging for nurses. The perspective of the frontline staff in caring for vulnerable infants on facilitators and barriers to open visitation may help policymakers, managers, and relevant officials in decision-making and implementing new visiting policies in the NICUs.