Guidance of children visiting in the adult intensive care by nurses

Introduction At the 22 bed ICU at VU University medical center (VUmc) there was no uniform approach to the guidance offered by nurses to children visiting the adult ICU. Visitation was frequently discouraged. No educational material was available to prepare a child for a visit. The guidance of children does not form part of ICU training. Research has shown it is good to allow children on the adult ICU provided that they are well prepared and guided (Vint, 2005) [1]. These research findings together with observations during day-to-day practice were reason for further study and applying interventions for improvement. The target group is children between the ages of 4 to 12.