Opening Intensive Care Units to Family Members: A Contribution From the Attachment Theory

As clinical psychologists working in the hospital, we often meet family members suffering from being separated from their loved ones during intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization because of restricted visiting hours. In many institutions, expanding ICU visiting hours and opening ICUs to family members, including children, are not common practice.2 Among the fears associated with open visitation and reported by clinicians are increased...