Critical care patients' perceptions of visits.

Although visiting has been studied from nurses' and families' perspectives, patients' preferences for visits and their evaluations of visits have not been explored. In addition, coronary care unit (CCU) and surgical intensive care unit (SICU) patients' visit preferences have not been compared. Relationships among patients' preferences for visits, select personal and illness characteristics, and the perceived impact of visits were compared in a sample of 50 CCU and 50 SICU patients. Patients' preferences for the length of visits differed according to their age, particularly for CCU patients. Patients' preferences for the frequency of visits were similar to their usual preferences for being with others. Perceived illness severity, especially for SICU patients, was positively related to the preferred number of visitors. A greater proportion of SICU patients preferred visits any time, day or night, compared with CCU patients. Patients predominantly evaluated visits as helpful and not tiring. Results suggest the need to tailor visits to patients' preferences by considering personal and illness-related characteristics.