Friday, November 13, 2009 8:56 PM CST
OUR VIEW: Hospital's visitor age rule made to be broken
By the JG/T-C Editorial Board
editorial@jg-tc.com
It’s understandable that Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center’s official policy now limits hospital visitors to those at least age 16.
But most people would find it appropriate and, in fact, likely agree if this rule is “selectively” enforced.
Sarah Bush officials announced on Nov. 4 that visitors to the hospital’s patient rooms and patient care areas now must be at least 16 years old. The idea is to protect both patients and visitors, and the policy is “above and beyond” a response to swine flu/H1N1, and in fact is “not a direct result” of the spread of that virus, according to Edward Hoppin, Sarah Bush vice president for medical affairs.
Keeping youngsters away from patient areas not only keeps children, who are the largest part of the population with colds and similar ailments, away from patients who already are sick and often have compromised immune systems, but also helps distance younger people from those with illnesses that might be tougher for children to shake.
Before this policy move, visitors had to be at least 12 to enter patient rooms or treatment areas. Both restrictions have applied and will apply to the offspring of patients as well as friends and other family members.
Visitor restrictions of some kind are the norm for hospitals. At St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham, age is not a factor in official policy except during flu season, when the hospital advises visitors to stay away if they are under age 18. That is among “visiting guidelines” at St. Anthony’s, according to the hospital Web site.
At Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, the enforced age limit is 14 in intensive care units, depending on which unit is involved, according to the facility’s Web site. Most hospitals follow different regulations in their maternity wards versus other patient care wings to allow family involvement when mothers give birth.
Keeping youngsters out of hospitals makes sense in several ways. First of all, kids do tend to have more sniffles and sore throats and the like, and the last thing that patients in a hospital need are more physical threats. Second of all, rest is often key to any patient’s recovery, and even the most well-behaved little ones find it hard to keep quiet and stay still for too long. A hospital environment does not have to be emotionally cold and devoid of basic “humanness,” but a restful and professional environment helps people recover and usually enables them to go home sooner.
Little ones can certainly talk by phone with their hospitalized loved ones. They can draw pictures and write notes to be delivered by older visitors. Some hospitals provide e-mail and Web site communications specifically for family and friends to contact patients. Hopefully, in most cases, Mom or Dad or Uncle Pete or Grandma will get well soon and be ready for visitors of all ages at home.
But no one would blame Sarah Bush workers from looking the other way if little ones stop by to see a gravely ill loved one. That can brighten the day of anyone who’s feeling rotten, and it can be a valuable time for children as well. Certainly staffers can recognize the special situations when this rule is made to be broken.
It’s too bad that those with good judgment and behavior have to, in essence, be punished for the bad choices and actions of those people for whom rules like this must be made. For the greater good, Sarah Bush’s age restriction makes a lot of sense.
But it’s compassionate, common-sense enforcement that will be key to the real success of this move.
— JG/T-C Editorial Board
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The Question wrote on Nov 14, 2009 7:03 AM: