Flexible Family Visitation Didn't Prevent Delirium in Intensive Care Patients

Critical care society guidelines recommend flexible visiting hours for family members of intensive care unit (ICU) patients (Crit Care Med 2017; 45:103). Although a growing number of ICUs emphasize family presence and allow visitation with minimal restrictions, this practice still is not the norm in the U.S.

Investigators in Brazil randomized 36 ICUs to a period of flexible visitation followed by a restricted-visitation period or to the reverse schedule; duration of each phase was 3 months. All ICUs had restricted visitation (median visit time, 1.5 hours daily) at baseline. The flexible phase allowed family members to stay as long as 12 hours continuously and included structured education about the ICU environment, common procedures, and com…