Updated Visitation Guidelines

• During the Covid-19 Pandemic, please also refer to Infection Control Policy 7.07 regarding visitors.

POLICY: Hampton Regional Medical Center recognizes the importance of visitation to our patients, their families, and friends. Our goal is to assure that patients and their visitors achieve a positive visitation experience without compromising patient care, confidentiality and security. Whenever possible, Hampton Regional Medical Center shall recognize and honor patient's wishes regarding visitation. In general, family members and visitors are welcomed and encouraged to visit from 9:00am to 9:00pm daily. However, the hospital recognizes that its primary purpose is to help improve the health of the patients entrusted to our care. At certain times, circumstances may arise that would require exceptions to be made related to patient visitation. The patient/patient representative, in conjunction with the patient's nurse or other member of the patient's healthcare team, may make limitations for visitation. Family members or visitors shall not be denied access to the patient without a legitimate reason, as determined by the hospital. Visitation may be restricted for the following reasons:

• At the patient's and/or patient's representative's request
• Visitor /family presence should not put the patient at risk. Examples include but are not limited to overstimulation, exhaustion, agitation
• Patient is undergoing a medical procedure
• Patient, family, visitor, or employee safety issues
• Anyone with any legal visitation restrictions (restraining order)
• Failure of the visitor or family member to adhere to hospital Infection Control Policies

Visitation restrictions shall be posted on the patient's room door, or in case of Hospital-wide restriction, at the main entrances.

Patients (or patient's representatives) have the right to determine who may and may not visit him/her while they are in the hospital. Patients may receive the visitors they designate, including, but not limited to, a spouse, a domestic partner, another family member, or a friend. Patients may designate a support person. The patient (or the patient's representative) also has the right to deny or refuse visitors at any time.

Hampton Regional Medical Center may not restrict, limit, or otherwise deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

Hampton Regional Medical Center shall ensure that visitors designated by the patient and/or patient representative enjoy visitation privileges that are no more restrictive than those that the immediate family members would enjoy.

FAMILY AND VISITOR BEHAVIOR:

1. Family and visitors should always wash their hands each time they enter and leave a patient room.
2. Family and visitors should follow all isolation and/or infection control precautions as instructed by nursing staff.
3. Family and visitors are asked not to come to the hospital to visit if they are feeling ill or have signs of communicable illnesses or infections
4. To maintain the privacy of other patients, family and visitors should only enter the room of the patient that they are here to spend time with.
5. To maintain patient privacy and minimize disturbances to other patients and families, congregating and loitering in the hallways is prohibited.
6. To facilitate the rest and recovery of our patients, family members and visitors should be mindful and sensitive to the needs of others by keeping noise and disturbances to a minimum.

Family members and visitors are expected to conduct themselves in a manner supportive of a hospital environment. If a family member or visitor should become disruptive or interfere with the care of the patient, they may be asked to leave the building or be removed from hospital property by local law enforcement.

AFTER-HOURS:

An announcement will be made via overhead paging announcing the end of visiting hours for the day. At 2100, the main entrance to the hospital shall be locked by housekeeping and the ER entrance shall be the only entrance accessible to the public. After 2100, all family members and visitors must check in at the ER registration desk and receive a visitor badge before proceeding to the patient care area. The ER registration clerk will call the patient area where the visitor is requesting to visit and obtain charge nurse consent for the visit. Badges are only valid for one calendar day. Double doors in all patient care units should be closed by nursing.

All persons not immediately recognized as HRMC staff or patients will be asked to produce a valid visitor badge or will be redirected back to ER registration

After hours, the patient may have one adult family member (over the age of 18) or visitor spend the night if the stay contributes to the well-being of the patient. The family member must be able to stay alone and care independently for self. Children may not remain overnight with the patient.

CHILDREN:

Children under the age of 12 should always be accompanied by an adult. Children aged 12 and older can only visit isolation rooms if they are able to comply with isolation and infection control practices. Visits by children under the age of twelve must be coordinated with the patient 's primary nurse and the patient or their designated representative.

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT:

Our ICU accommodates flexible visitation for patient's families. In order to provide our patients with adequate time for rest and treatment we do ask that visitation occur at the following time intervals:

• 0900am - 12:00pm
• 3:30 pm - 6:00pm
• 8:00pm - 9:00 pm

After hour ICU visitation shall be determined on a case-by-case basis depending on patient's condition and patient's preference.

Family members and/or visitors shall be limited to 1 person at a time. Family members and visitors are asked to remain in the patient room while visiting. Individuals (ages 16 and older) may visit the ICU at the discretion of the nurse and in collaboration with the patient and/or patient representative. Family and visitors are requested to wait in the assigned ICU waiting room and not in the hallways outside the ICU entrance when waiting to enter the unit. There should be no eating or drinking in the patient's room by visitors. Children younger than 16 visiting the ICU shall be at the discretion and mutual agreement of the healthcare team, patient, and family.

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT/SURGICAL SERVICES:

There shall exist no designated pre-set visiting hours for these areas. Visitation shall be at the discretion of the nurse and/or physician and dependent upon the patient's condition. However, family members and visitors will not be denied visitation without a legitimate reason including but not limited to medical reasons, unit activity or safety/privacy concerns.

Emergency Department:

Due to the small size of our rooms, no more than 1 visitor at a time (or both parents if the patient is a child) may be with a patient who is receiving care. Visitors may be asked to leave the room during treatment or examinations of the patient or nearby patients. Patients will be asked to designate two primary visitors who can communicate patient updates with others in the waiting room to avoid multiple and continuous interchange of visitors in the patient care area when the ER is busy or overcrowded. The triage room door must be kept always closed.

To ensure the safety of all, when a victim of a violent crime or a patient requiring law enforcement investigation or intervention presents, all visitors may be asked to leave the patient care area until the event is contained

OUTPATIENT SERVICE AREAS:

We realize that visitors and family members can play an important role for outpatients who wish to have someone present with them during their outpatient visit. One person will be allowed to accompany an individual while they are receiving outpatient services when at all possible.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES:

There may be unique and extenuating circumstances (i.e., imminent death, impending surgery, etc.) that require compassionate exceptions to these guidelines. The health care team shall be flexible during these times to respond to the patient's needs and promote cohesiveness of the family unit and the patient's support systems.

Patients shall be informed of their right to visitation at the time of registration. In-patients and outpatients will receive written information which includes their right to visitation and specifies those limitations/restrictions that may be imposed regarding visitation.

All in-patients shall receive written information which gives the patient more specific information related to in-patient visitation.

In the event a patient is incapacitated for any reason, the patient's designated representative and/ or

person accompanying or supporting the patient shall be notified of the patient's right to visitation.

In the event that a disagreement among patient's family and/or friends related to visitation occurs, the

patient's designated representative shall have the final say regarding visitation. In this situation, there

must be documented in the medical record as to what occurred.

All staff will be responsible for ensuring the visitation policy is carried out appropriately and that no unnecessary limitations or restrictions are imposed on a patient's visitation right.