Recently, I went to see a friend at the Emergency Room because she had Kidney complications and was denied as the Doctor said that a spouse or other family members could see her at this time but no one outside of that.  I was confused by this because I had no problem visiting other friends in the past.  I am not sure if it was strickly that hospital policy or is it in hospitals all around the country.  If it is a country-wide policy, do you guys know the reasoning behind this?

Probably the difference between visiting someone on a ward and in the emergency room.

In the UK there is no standard visiting rules - each hospital sets its own, even differing between wards depending on the nature of the care the patient requires.

Karen's probably right about the ER versus regular in-patient.

Visitation rights was one of the issues in the gay marriage argument.  In some places they only allow family and spouses.  This seems unfair in either case because if you've been with the same partner for 20 years but you're not married, why should you have any less of a right to see each other than if you've been married for three months?

I think it also depends on if the patient makes it known that they want to have whomever is in the waiting room back to see them or not.  But yes, mostly I think it is the difference between being an Emergency Room visit (where visitors unknowingly can get in the way of procedures (even if well intentioned.)  and hospital rooms where usually a two person visit is enforced.  Even I had problems visiting my own mom in the Intensive Care Unit, it was all up to the whim of whatever nursing staff was there at the time. 

I guess the medical personnel figure that visitors can not only bring stress but outside germs/colds/infections that can jeopardize the healing of their patients.  It's unbelievable how some families can't even let the fighting and bickering go even when their loved ones are in the hospital trying to recover. 

They told me, you can come in, but the stogie stays here, so I just sent mom a get well card.  Maybe sis can sneak mom her stogies.  They get real uptight about it on the respiratory unit, you see...

http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/12/icon_biggrin.gif

They told me, you can come in, but the stogie stays here, so I just sent mom a get well card.  Maybe sis can sneak mom her stogies.  They get real uptight about it on the respiratory unit, you see...

http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/12/icon_biggrin.gif


Karma for making me laugh before I have totally woken up. ;D

I can understand the policy.  The person probably needed rest and the hospital needs a way to limit the visitors and not be in a position of deciding who can or cannot visit.  The easiest way is to limit to family members.

Funny story.  I was in the E.R. and my friend came in to see me.  She's not considered family so I asked her how she managed to do it.  She told the nurses station she was my pastor. ;D  Don't worry I had no problem with her being there.

When I was with my ex b/f and had to take my daughter to the ER, they always asked if there was anyone they could let into the room.  I always gave his name--and he always came to keep us company.

I had an ex-significant other who got into a serious car accident. (He was NOT driving). He was totally out off it-drugged up and couldn't talk. He was in intensive care. When I got to the hospital, I practically INSISTED that they let me see him. I told them that his family was out in AZ and I was basically his only family he had in the area. They put me down as his fiancé. I said, "Ok, I will be his fiancé for the hospital." Of course I was on the phone almost every night with his mother & sister giving them an up-date. They were both grateful to have me there and would have known what to do if I hadn't done what I did.



Cat