Beliefs and attitudes of PICU doctors and nurses on parental presence and open visiting policies: an Italian nationwide survey

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study is to investigate doctors' and nurses' beliefs and attitudes towards family presence and open visiting policies in Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) in Italy. METHODS: A multicentric nationwide study was carried out in all 30 Italian PICUs. All doctors and nurses were asked to complete the Italian version of the Beliefs and Attitudes toward Visitation in ICU Questionnaire (BAVIQ). The questionnaire consists of 20 questions on beliefs and 14 on attitudes towards visiting. RESULTS: The response rate was 89% (925 questionnaires), with 87% of nurses and 94% of doctors responding. Most respondents (85%) believed that visiting has a beneficial effect on the patient and that an open visiting policy can reduce parental anxiety (68%). However, nearly half the respondents believed that an open policy interferes with direct nursing care (45%) and makes them feel checked up on (49%). Multiple logistic regression conducted on the eight most representative items showed that factors associated with beliefs and attitudes opposing open visiting policies were: being a nurse, geographic area (working in PICUs in Central Italy or the South and Islands) and working in a cardiac surgery unit. Age showed a trend of younger professionals being more convinced that an open visiting policy can be beneficial for patients. CONCLUSIONS: Most healthcare professionals in Italian PICUs believe that an open visiting policy for families is beneficial for both the patient and his/her family. However, despite an overall positive attitude among PICU staff members, there is still some resistance in Italy, particularly among nurses and in cardiac surgery units.