Support Persons (Visitors) are very important
It is your right to have support persons* (visitors) come to see you while you are in the hospital. We welcome and encourage their visits. While we have no formal visiting hours, and try to be as flexible as possible to meet you and your support persons’ needs, under certain circumstances it may be necessary to limit visitation. For instance, visitation may be restricted to abide by a patient’s preferences, to control the spread of infection, to heed a physician or nurse’s best clinical judgment or if visitation interferes with the care of the patient or other patients, to maintain privacy or to ensure a quiet, restful atmosphere for a patient or a patient’s roommate. You are entitled to an explanation whenever a restriction is placed on visitation.
General University Hospitals visitation guidelines for adult patients:
- Please check with the nurse for any specific visitation guidelines for your nursing unit.
- Our recommendation is to limit the number of support persons (visitors) at any one time. Our suggestion is two per patient.
- Please check with nursing personnel before visiting with children and infants.
- Please don’t visit if you are sick or might have a cold or other illness.
- Ensure that children who visit are supervised by an adult other than the patient.
- Keep voices low.
- Please do not bring latex balloons to the hospital.
* A support person can be a spouse, family member, domestic partner, same-sex partner, friend or other individual who supports the patient during his or her hospital stay. There is no limit on who may be designated a support person by the patient and no restrictions based on age, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, culture, language, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability or socioeconomic status.