LAUSR

Abstract Introduction Open visiting policy (OVP) allows the family to access the infant 24 hours a day. Nurses' beliefs can help to better plan on visiting policies. This study investigated the attitudes of nurses in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) towards open visiting. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in NICUs of the three main hospitals in Iran. All nurses with six months of work experience participated to the study. The “Beliefs and Attitudes toward Visitation in NICU Questionnaire” (BAVNIQ) was used. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 19. Findings The cumulative percentage of agreement and disagreement of 113 participated nurses’ towards the OVP was 46% and 66.91%, respectively. The highest scores about open visiting was in the moderate and weak rank. Conclusion The study showed that NICU nurses had a moderate to poor attitude towards OVP. Improving nurses attitudes before changing visiting policies seems indispensable.