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Commentary
Adult nursing
Extended visitation policy may lower risk for delirium in the intensive care unit
  1. Manuel Schwanda1,
  2. Rita Gruber1,2
  1. 1 Department of Health Sciences, University of Applied Sciences St Pölten, Sankt Pölten, Austria
  2. 2 School of Nursing, Bildungszentrum Diakonissen Linz, Linz, Austria
  1. Correspondence to Manuel Schwanda, St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, 3100 St. Pölten, Austria; manuel.schwanda{at}fhstp.ac.at

https://doi.org/10.1136/eb-2018-102884

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    Commentary on: Rosa RG, Tonietto TF, da Silva DB, et al. Effectiveness and safety of an extended ICU visitation model for delirium prevention: a before and after study. Crit Care Med 2017;45:1660–1667.

    Implications for practice and research

    • Extended intensive care unit (ICU) visitation models (12 hours per day) can result in reduced appearance and shorter length of delirium as well as shorter ICU stay.

    • Further studies are needed to demonstrate the effect of extended visitation policies on delirium and their meaning on family members as well as ICU staff.

    Context

    Delirium is a common phenomenon in critically ill patients and affects patients’ short-term and long-term outcome parameters adversely. It also increases morbidity and mortality. Disturbed consciousness and cognition, as well as inattentiveness and alterations in perception, are characteristic symptoms that can last for hours to days. Research indicates a prevalence up to 80% in ICUs.1 Moreover, delirium is related to …

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