Hospitals should not restrict parent visitation at child’s bedside, say U-M researchers

Since hospitals began curtailing visitation to prevent the spread of COVID-19, many allow only one parent at the bedside of pediatric patients.

A new consensus statement (PDF) argues that parents and guardians are “essential caregivers” and should be allowed at the bedside without restriction, especially if they live in the same house. The statement is based on responses from parents interviewed for a University of Michigan-led research study of neonatal intensive care at 36 hospitals throughout the country during early COVID.

Lead author Ashlee Vance, research fellow at the U-M School of Nursing, and Deena Kelly Costa, assistant professor of nursing, discuss the consensus statement and essential caregivers.

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