Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Corso di laurea in infermieristica - Sede di Modena

Abstract

The 98% of the Italian Intensive Care Units is characterized by an environment closed to the public, where patients are isolated from their realities and their families, except for a few hours a day, thus adopting a policy of restriction to visits. However, the situation is gradually changing. The proximity of loved ones in such a delicate moment marked by suffering and illness begins to be perceived as a precious resource for patient care and no longer seen as an obstacle to the work of the team or source of infection.
It is therefore necessary that the organization of intensive care, even in Italy, conforms to the model of "open intensive care".
Scientific evidence shows that a more flexible visiting time improves patient recovery by reducing the stress of hospitalization and, above all, it has been shown that the infections encountered in the ICU are not caused by visitors but by the care team itself.
The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the perceptions of the nursing staff regarding this policy, the degree of knowledge of the benefits for the patient and his family and consequently on the effects on the quality of the assistance provided.
The Study Design is: transversal quantitative descriptive.
The Champion: Nursing staff of intensive care and critical area departments of the two companies in the province of Modena (AUSL and AOU).
Methods and tools: BAVIQ questionnaire filled in anonymously.
Results: from the analysis of the data have emerged what are the main perceptions of those who work in a reality that would allow the application of this policy.
Discussion and conclusion: most of the interviewed operators show that they recognize the benefits and advantages of this openness. However, several fears still persist, although these are not really demonstrated as evidenced by
the literature.