Family Visitation in the PACU: The Current State of Practice in the United States

Postoperative patients are in a highly dependent and vulnerable state. Research has shown that patients in this state are comforted most by the presence of loved ones. No data identifies the current practice for postanesthesia care unit (PACU) family visitation in the United States. The research question formulated by the lack of data was, “What are the current PACU visitation practices in the United States?”A univariate descriptive study using an e-survey was carried out to gather data from 2,225 members of ASPAN about current PACU visitation practices. Results indicated that 8% of adult patients are always permitted to have a visitor in the PACU and 11% are allowed visitors most of the time. The results from the survey demonstrate that allowing visitors into the PACU is clearly an important issue for nurses. It is also apparent that there is discord between practice and research findings that support visitation.