Hospital visitation bans

Andrew Peterson2 said:Let's say you're hooked up to machines constantly and nobody shows up, and you can't even ask your sister to bring you something—something personal or just a snack from CVS.
I hope you don't have the nerve to call home and ask them to deliver it; you are in a hospital, after all.

You're exaggerating. I think there's a massive difference between one or two people dropping off what you need and turning every single visit into a family field trip.

Take my experience at the hospital here. On the floor where I stayed, there were three different wards. One was hematology. Do I really need to explain that some of those patients are bald or undergoing chemo and who knows what else? Those people shouldn't have crowds of people shuffling through the hallways, or roommates having entire groups of people hovering over their beds, coughing and spitting around the ward. That unit consists of maybe two or three rooms packed with five or six beds each. It’s a disaster when someone acts like they're being smart and allows five or six people to show up at once. If it were me, I would Ban my family from coming in packs, just so it doesn't occur to anyone.

The medical staff is expected to change clothes and shoes when they arrive, and disinfect their hands every damn time—because nothing says "luxury" like constantly dousing your hands in sanitizer—just to stop things from spreading. Yet, on the other hand, they allow these tourist excursions where groups sit wherever they feel like, touching everything with dirty hands, and showing up with colds and stuff.

I’m firmly in favor of banning hospital visits during flu season. Honestly, I just can't wrap my head around the people arguing against these kinds of restrictions when everyone is getting sick.

During those grim, lockdown-style eras, the policy for patients with limited mobility was to strictly ban all visitors from entering their rooms, while those who were more mobile were only granted access during very specific, restricted windows of time.
If you absolutely have to drop off personal items for a patient outside of regular visiting hours, there’s no need to worry about getting through the doors yourself; you can simply hand everything over to the nursing staff.

shadownomad43 As stated by:
Heh...
My stint in the ICU lasted about two months... 😁
Well, that’s just great.
Connected to all sorts of medical machinery, constantly being poked and prodded—it was like being drugged on something just to make it bearable. It was supposedly my "visiting hours," but the most absurd part of the whole ordeal was that these visitors weren't actually coming to see me; they were there for my roommates.
If I actually had any way to take action right now, I swear I’d make sure none of them were left standing.

I hear you...
Even so, they at least maintain strict limits on visiting hours and the number of people allowed in the ICU.
Unfortunately, when you look at the standard wards, things are looking pretty thin.
I spent the entire day from midnight until the following midnight completely glued to my bed, without once making the effort to get up.
And then, right in the middle of my visit—while I was busy struggling through a bout of stomach issues in bed—my roommate's entire family just barges right in. All four of them. 🙄
I asked them to step outside, naturally.

What exactly are you supposed to say when things get intense during a visit—specifically when you’re dealing with the mother of some kid who’s acting like a total moron—if you happen to catch him trying to smuggle cigarettes in?
Imagine this guy in the coronary ward, where about 90% of us are hooked up to oxygen, deciding he just has to set the place on fire without a second thought.
That idiot could have blown us all to kingdom come if he hadn't been stopped. 😠

melloworca6 said:... but on the flip side, they let people come in for these little tourist excursions where groups just sit around, messing things up with dirty hands and bringing in colds and whatnot...

It’s not that it’s "allowed," it’s just that pure human rudeness and a total lack of manners have gone off the rails. People walk into wards without even acknowledging the medical staff—as if they’re walking into a 7-Eleven. Even at a convenience store, I have enough decency to say hello when I get to the register. Then you have the doors where it clearly states, due to a patient's condition, to check with the staff before entering. They don't. They just barge in like they own the place.
When you tell them not to sit on the hospital beds or stop crowding into a room, half of them act like you're invisible. They just stare right through you. Some pick a fight or make snide comments, others just walk out and then—lo and behold—sneak back in the second the nurses turn their backs. Only a tiny fraction actually listens.

And don't even get me started on the kids and infants. You'll see five-year-olds running around the floor, putting their hands in their mouths and touching everything. I honestly don't know how someone can be so uninformed, or maybe they're just plain oblivious. But heaven forbid you say anything to the parents! They take it as a personal insult. Like they're the ultimate experts on their own kid. Yeah, sure they are.

Rarely will a doctor bother arguing about behavior during visits; that’s usually left to the nurses, whom the visitors don't respect at all. I've lost count of how many times I've seen a nurse snap back that people should only listen to the doctors, while visitors brag about how they've charmed certain staff members into letting them stay. Apparently, everything should happen on their terms.

So, I totally get why sometimes you just don't have the energy to keep arguing with people, especially when you run the risk of getting physically confronted. And trust me, that happens too.
The only real fix is to ban visitors from the wards for any mobile patients. If someone needs something, just bring it to them and leave it. Everyone has a cell phone these days; they can easily text what they need. There's always a bench outside the ward to sit and chat, or somewhere else nearby. If mobile, younger patients can wander around looking for coffee, so they can certainly manage a visit under some rules.
For those who can't move, visitation should be adjusted based on their actual health status.

wearybison8 said:And what about the ICU—what can you even say when someone’s visitor (specifically, the mother of some absolute moron) tries to sneak cigarettes in to their kid?
Well, the guy in the coronary ward, where about 90% of us are hooked up to oxygen tanks without anyone saying a word, lights one up.
That idiot could have quite literally blown the whole wing sky-high.😠

Honestly, that should be a criminal offense; hit them where it hurts financially and make them undergo treatment in a correctional facility. Assuming there's actually anything left to fix...

Man, I've been a chronic smoker for years, but even I don't think about lighting up while I'm lying in a hospital bed.
I don't reach for a cigarette until I'm discharged and well away from the hospital grounds.

They really need to kick him out of the hospital!
On the ward where I was staying, this guy just kept smoking right in his room...
Instead of actually removing him, the staff were just pleading with him, getting frustrated, and arguing back and forth...

But there’s an even bigger issue: at the hospital over in the Forest (I saw it myself), the medical staff are actually smoking in the restrooms...

Nicholas Davis4, saying it’s "easy" to smoke in the West is one thing, but this guy was lighting up right there in the ICU—where you aren't even getting out of bed or heading to the restroom, just hooked up to oxygen and a mountain of monitors
The doctors were fighting tooth and nail to keep him alive—he's young, too, facing a heavy diagnosis—and then this idiot just... 🙄

I honestly can't decide who's more irrational: him, or his mother for bringing him cigarettes in the first place
And then, because he's a total jerk, he pulls the curtain shut just so he can light up in peace

The doctor nearly lost it; he almost kicked him out of the unit because the guy couldn't even be bothered to stop, lighting up yet another one right when the night shift nurses were coming on

It is quite simply unbelievable
I wouldn't dream of treating someone like that for even a second☕

I was practically counting down the minutes until I could finally get transferred to my own ward

Brenda Alvarez24 said:But there's another issue: at the Forest Hospital, I personally saw medical staff smoking in the restrooms...

True...
I can't get behind people smoking in bathrooms either.
For God's sake, they should just give them a designated smoking area. People are entitled to breaks, a warm meal, and maybe a coffee or two during their shift. Presumably... :misli
Drinking coffee without a cigarette... now that's a struggle. 👎

And honestly, I feel like smokers are being unfairly vilified lately. Sure, there are those who genuinely have no respect for non-smokers, and those types definitely need to be held accountable.
But ostracizing someone from society simply because they smoke?
Give me a break...

A single drunken binge probably does more damage to an individual and the community than a pack of cigarettes ever could.
It makes me wonder why we don't penalize alcoholics with that same level of intensity...
Not to mention any other forms of addiction.

Those people are viewed as being "ill," so they need treatment and compassion...
Well, I'm not interested in watching that movie, let alone playing the role of the merciful nurse.

And even those hash smokers... they’re all heading out for community service projects 🙂

Personally, I don't think hospitals should have designated smoking areas at all...
Eating, drinking, and using the restroom are necessities... but smoking isn't. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around why hospital staff would be allowed to smoke on the premises.
They can certainly do so during their breaks, but while they are on the clock? Not in a hospital, and honestly, not anywhere else either.

Now, moving on to another topic...
The whole "alcoholics and addicts" debate...
I can only sympathize if someone was coerced or manipulated into that lifestyle against their will...
Otherwise, this idea that they are just "fragile souls" or overly sensitive... what, are we supposed to be made of stone? Do you think we don't have emotions or that nothing ever hurts us?
At some point, there is always a choice to be made... eventually, you decide.

Even my husband wouldn't foot an endless bill for medical treatments... he feels like once you hit three times the insurance limit, that's it. You simply won't keep spending money indefinitely.

Betty Foster97 said:Even those guys always looking for a high seem to be getting drafted into those community service projects lately. 🙂

Oh, absolutely. Well done. 👍
Work details. And we’re talking about them being carried out under a strict, military-style regime.
Waking up at 4:00 AM in the Forest, rolling up my sleeves, and just getting stuck into the work ahead.
I wouldn't wish a single speck of dust settling on you if God himself were to orchestrate it.
That’s all I have to say regarding physical activity.

When you really look at what defines the foundation of true culture, it comes down to how we carry ourselves within the family. It’s found in those quiet, instinctive gestures—like when you reach out to show your mother genuine affection, or the way you instinctively show your father a level of profound respect that borders on reverence.

Jap. I honestly think she’d drain them dry if it weren't for the fact that after 10 p.m., there isn't a single thought left in her head besides how much she wants to hit the mattress.
I’d much rather learn how to actually build something for myself—to earn enough to cover three solid meals a day—instead of spending my entire life acting like a parasite, just coasting along on everyone else's hard work.

Oops... looks like we’ve drifted a little bit off course.
I think we finally get where the other is coming from. 🙂

Brenda Alvarez24 said:In my view, there simply shouldn't be any designated smoking areas within a hospital...
You have to eat, drink, and use the restroom... but you don't necessarily need to smoke. The idea of hospital staff smoking while on duty is just incomprehensible to me.
During their breaks? Sure. While working? No. Not in a hospital, and certainly not anywhere else.

Oh, come on, don't be quite so harsh... 🕺
Healthcare workers are human beings after all... 😁

That said, since I'm a chronic smoker myself, I might look the other way if I saw them having two or three cigarettes over coffee in some corner room at the end of a hallway in a place like Mayo Clinic.
I can find a way to empathize with them...
Fortunately, I don't work in a medical setting; I run my own business. Solo. And I tend to be most productive when I have a cigarette tucked away. I can afford that little luxury because I don't have oxygen tanks or any other volatile inventory sitting nearby.
And I have to admit, anyone who would try to Ban me from smoking on my own turf—be it my private life or my professional one—would be asking for trouble. Honestly, someone like that hasn't even been born yet. 😁

I find myself in complete agreement regarding the visitation bans. There have been several instances where I’ve ended up back in the hospital, and during those times, the last thing I wanted was a crowd of visitors; when you're dealing with agonizing pain and feeling like your entire system is just breaking down, all you truly crave is rest, sleep, and some genuine peace and quiet. It honestly escapes me why some people fail to grasp that these restrictions aren't arbitrary—they exist to protect the health and safety of every single patient, including the person being visited. Perhaps it would be more practical to establish a dedicated common area or lounge, so that necessary visits can take place there, rather than allowing people to wander in just to gossip or linger indefinitely.

Andrew Peterson2 said:Imagine you're hooked up to machines indefinitely, nobody is checking in on you, and you can't exactly ask a sister to grab you something personal or a snack from the local CVS.
I certainly hope you don't think you can just call home and expect them to drop it off at your bedside, given that you're currently in a hospital.

It’s pretty clear you’ve never actually spent any time being hospitalized... Because if you had, you’d likely be aware that next to almost every bed—usually right above the pillow—there is a call button, a switch, or some kind of cord designed for assistance.
See, when you press that button, an alarm rings out through the entire ward. There is virtually no chance the nurse on duty won't hear that ringing...
...and they aren't going to miss which room it's coming from, since there is usually a little light positioned above the door that flashes to signal exactly which patient pressed their button and called for help...

He thought he was calling his sister over, but she’s definitely not going to show up with twenty ounces of premium deli ham and some local craft beer from the grocery store.
Or maybe some fresh laundry.
🙂
Alright, look—being a patient at, say, Mayo Clinic isn't quite the same experience as being treated like a pig at a Midwest BBQ joint.
The first group might have blurry vision, sure, but they can still grab a beer and joke around.
For everyone else, things aren't exactly "fun"—you definitely shouldn't be hooked up to any machines, and you desperately need peace, quiet, and as much rest as humanly possible. At that point, nothing else really matters.

Addicts don't really fall into that specific category of patients; they can often receive visitors for longer periods under different sets of rules.
Then you have those in mental health programs who spend their days in outpatient day programs.

Now, healthcare workers who struggle with addiction—well, that’s a whole different story.
A person like that might be recognized as a top-tier specialist, but if they aren't looking after their own health, how can I expect them to look after mine?
🤷

shadownomad43 said:You clearly haven't spent much time in a hospital... Because if you had, you'd probably know that next to almost every bed, usually right above the pillow, there’s some kind of switch or call button cable.
See, when you press that switch, an alarm goes off for the entire unit. There’s no way the nurse on duty doesn't hear that ringing...
...and they won't miss which room it's coming from, because there’s usually a light above the door that flashes to signal exactly which patient pressed the button to call for help...

If you’ve been in the hospital as many times as you claim, hasn't there ever been a moment where you forgot to bring something with you? Don't your family members just bring those things when they come to visit?
I was only hospitalized once when I had pneumonia, and I completely forgot to bring my face cream, even though my skin gets incredibly dry. I could barely wait until the second day for my family to visit and bring it to me, because my face felt so tight and uncomfortable. Or was I supposed to send a nurse to the pharmacy?

Just got back from visiting my old man... and yeah, I just got hit with a nice little visitation ban right at the door...

Look, I definitely have ways to sneak in—I’m not saying I don't—but I'm really not planning on it. I mean, I figure a nasty bout of the flu from my old man could probably do some real damage... And if he actually needs anything, there's still his cell phone and ways to get stuff to him (I'll just be super polite and ask one of the staff members, I guess)🤷

rustymason82 said:If you’ve been hospitalized as often as you claim, hasn’t there ever been a moment where you forgot to pack something essential? Don't you just rely on your family to bring it when they come to visit?
I was only hospitalized once, back when I had pneumonia, and I actually did forget to pack my face cream—which is a problem since my skin gets incredibly dry. I was practically counting down the hours until my family could visit on the second day just to bring it, because my face felt so tight and uncomfortable. Or was I supposed to send a nurse down to the gift shop?

Personally, I’ve never had an issue forgetting anything I need when I head to the hospital. Organization has always been one of my strongest suits. 🙂
The only time I ever showed up at the hospital with absolutely nothing was when the paramedics picked me up straight from the street and rushed me directly into the operating room. My brother was just standing outside those OR doors, waiting for any word on whether he’d actually see me alive again. For those first five days, I didn't really need much of anything; I was so high on morphine that I was basically floating through life on cloud nine 😁 so I didn't have the "capacity" to worry about dry skin or dental hygiene, let alone fussing over lip balm.
Everything I eventually needed, my mom brought in a duffel bag, waved it through the door, and handed it to a nurse to pass along to me. She did all this right after she finished picking out a plot at Arlington National Cemetery, because during those first five days, everyone kept warning her to prepare for the worst. 😁

George Sanchez59 said:Someone might be recognized as a top-tier expert in their field, but if they don't show any regard for their own well-being, how can I expect them to care about mine?
🤷

Don't be so pessimistic, kid... 🤦
Didn't you know that Native Americans used to treat pneumonia with nicotine...? 😁
I actually survived a pulmonary embolism myself because I managed to slip out of the hospital just to step onto the sidewalk for a smoke... 😁
If I had actually bothered to worry about my health, I wouldn't be here. In my case, ignoring the rules was exactly what my body needed to recover.🕺

I was a smoker for over 20 years—hitting about three packs a day lately.
I quit cold turkey—no patches, no therapy sessions, and absolutely no whining. I just made the cut one day and that was that.
Looking back ten years later, I realize how much I actually stunk and what a waste of time it all was. I’m a completely different person now. Back then, I wasn't any different from an alcoholic or a drug addict—even though I used to tell myself those were the ones who really needed to work on themselves. 😁

A doctor or a nurse can't be considered high-quality staff if they're smoking in the restroom.
It's totally unprofessional.
Besides, all that health education they received in medical school doesn't mean much if they're sneaking off to a corner to light up like teenagers. 🤷

We're starting to gossip like old ladies at a farmer's market—anyway, I'm signing off now.

@Alexander Thompson/">@@Alexander Thompson - it doesn't really matter if you don't visit; someone else will likely walk into that room and cough or sneeze right toward your father.
That's the actual issue we're talking about—people with zero consideration for others—not people like you, who just bring over some juice and a newspaper for a quick 10-15 minute chat.

George Sanchez59 said:If a doctor or a nurse is busy pooping in the restroom, they aren't exactly providing top-tier care.
It’s just totally unprofessional.

Hey, whatever works, I guess—I actually know a really talented surgeon who lights up like a Christmas tree whenever she gets the chance.🤷

George Sanchez59 said:@Alexander Thompson - look, that doesn't mean you shouldn't visit, because honestly, someone else could wander into the room to see another patient and just end up coughing or sneezing right toward your dad.

You almost never have a total risk elimination strategy, but you can work on risk reduction... I'm certainly not trying to jack up the danger for my old man, but I can't exactly stop those idiots who ignore the Ban and come in anyway, just coughing and sneezing all over the place... I think I'd probably end up being moved to a different ward if I even tried to step in...

It's just risk management, man....