Rapid responses are electronic comments to the editor. They enable our users
to debate issues raised in articles published on bmj.com. A rapid response
is first posted online. If you need the URL (web address) of an individual
response, simply click on the response headline and copy the URL from the
browser window. A proportion of responses will, after editing, be published
online and in the print journal as letters, which are indexed in PubMed.
Rapid responses are not indexed in PubMed and they are not journal articles.
The BMJ reserves the right to remove responses which are being
wilfully misrepresented as published articles or when it is brought to our
attention that a response spreads misinformation.
From March 2022, the word limit for rapid responses will be 600 words not
including references and author details. We will no longer post responses
that exceed this limit.
The word limit for letters selected from posted responses remains 300 words.
I started a committee to research the effects of our
visiting hours, telephone inquiries and infection
control.
I work in an ICU/PCU 30 bed unit in NYC. We have open
visiting hours, which recently has become chaotic.
Families come, resent when you ask them to wash their
hands. They eat at the bedsides. Small children are
brought onto the unit.
I have been researching for months and of course find
all the related articles to health care workers and
infection control.
Has anyone done research on the visitors?
I continue to see a trend where people don't seem to
understand that although a hospital is a healing
environment, very sick patients are up on the unit and
within the floors.
Eating, kissing on the mouth, climbing in bed with the
intubated/septic patient, walking barefoot or with
socks on the hospital floors and allowing children to
touch everything and anything without the benefit of
handwashing; I feel has added to our infection control
problems.
I would appreciate any opinions or articles on this.
Hand washing in visitors to hospitals
I started a committee to research the effects of our
visiting hours, telephone inquiries and infection
control.
I work in an ICU/PCU 30 bed unit in NYC. We have open
visiting hours, which recently has become chaotic.
Families come, resent when you ask them to wash their
hands. They eat at the bedsides. Small children are
brought onto the unit.
I have been researching for months and of course find
all the related articles to health care workers and
infection control.
Has anyone done research on the visitors?
I continue to see a trend where people don't seem to
understand that although a hospital is a healing
environment, very sick patients are up on the unit and
within the floors.
Eating, kissing on the mouth, climbing in bed with the
intubated/septic patient, walking barefoot or with
socks on the hospital floors and allowing children to
touch everything and anything without the benefit of
handwashing; I feel has added to our infection control
problems.
I would appreciate any opinions or articles on this.
Thank you
Cyndi D
Competing interests: No competing interests