Is this the End of Hospital Visitation Hours?

Good news: it looks like future hospital stays in Canada will become a bit more bearable.

Currently, 50 hospitals and health organizations across the country are either reviewing the possibility of eliminating patient visiting hours, or have already done so. This means that people can visit family members in the hospital 24/7.

Called the family presence policy, the elimination of specific visitation hours aims to provide a better hospital experience for both patients and their loved ones.

Saying Goodbye to Hospital Visitation Hours

“Despite evidence clearly showing better care and health outcomes, family presence policies were more the exception than the norm in this country,” says Maria Judd, the senior director of Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI), the organization behind the initiative.

“We’re encouraging Canadians to have conversations with their hospitals and healthcare organizations about whether they could identify a loved one to stay by their side around the clock if they so choose,” she said.

Some of the many benefits of the family presence include: fewer medication errors, a reduced length of stay, fewer re-admissions for the patient and an overall better experience for both patients and their loved ones, a CHFI study has found.

To find out if your local hospital already has a 24/7 family policy or may implement one, visit: The Canadian Foundation For Healthcare Improvement