The nurse working in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is caring for a critically ill 28-week-old preemie
The parent calls the nurse and asks if it would be possible to bring the client's 2-year-old sibling to visit because the sibling is having nightmares about the client's death. Small children are not permitted to visit because of the risk of infection to the infants on the unit. Which action by the nurse is appropriate?
A) Seek permission from unit management and the neonatologist to allow the sibling to visit.
B) Offer to make counseling available to the sibling.
C) Tell the parent that visiting is not permitted and offer to take pictures of the client.
D) Tell the parent to bring the sibling in to visit in the middle of the night.
Answer: A
The nurse realizes that certain rules are in place for the protection of clients. The nurse would be compassionate enough to seek permission to allow the sibling to visit and see that the infant is alive and being cared for. Telling the parent what the rules of the unit are will only increase the family's frustration when they are looking to the nurse for assistance. Offering counseling may or may not be an effective means of assisting the family. The sibling needs to be reassured that the infant is alive. The nurse would not make the decision without the permission of the management team.
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