Table 3 Perceived benefits of visitor restrictions for patient care and education during COVID-19

More nurse-parent interaction

“I definitely have more time to interact with my patient and… with the dad. Because every time I come into the room, if there’s visitors, other than dad, then I usually just check on them real quick and leave the room, but if there’s only mom and dad and baby, I can have a little more conversation and answer more questions. Yeah, definitely spend more time with mom and dad during the COVID.”

“I think that there’s been a tremendous benefit and it being limited to just mom, dad, and baby, we’re able to really focus in on what they need. And they’re able to have that space to ask questions that they might not have otherwise asked if family and visitors were in the room.”

“I think it’s better. Like I said, not having to deal with visitors coming in and out; we got more time for each mom and dad. I get to focus more on them and get to spend more time with them.”

More effective education

“… I’m able to not just teach them, but also get to know them and their family dynamic at home, whether it be them having older kids, and how to get them involved, and just how mom and dad interact with each other, and how they can help each other out.”

“Like I enjoy, I mean, not having all those visitors because… you couldn’t really interact with the mom and dad because they were too busy trying to entertain everybody and you couldn’t really teach them. But now with nobody in there, they’re very involved and they want to learn…”

“So I feel like it has been better, in a sense, that it’s kind of more one on one and not so mom, grandma, grandpa, and cousins are in the room. So giving education may not be spread between eight people, and not really direct. So that’s been a little bit easier, it’s more one on one.”

More father involvement

“Without those outside influences… in some ways maybe it gives dad a little bit more space to be there, and ask his own questions, and… there’s less pressure from their mother-in-law, or the mom’s mom, I guess.”

“I think them just being there more has increased their involvement. So the visitation policy changing has had that side effect of dad is pretty much restricted to the room, they’re not even out walking in the hallways… So yeah, just the policies of them being in the room has lent itself to us having a lot more time to educate and involve them.”

“Now, since COVID, dads are the only support people there, we don’t have all these extra family members and friends trying to also be in the postpartum room right away. And so usually when I’m doing my first assessment….I’m able to… demonstrate that first diaper change and kind of talk through my assessment and show him what’s normal as well. There’s just a lot more time and space for that now I feel.”