Approach to policy exceptions and decision-making authority — survey responses (n = 24)
| Factor | No. (%) of respondents |
|---|---|
| Approach to policy exceptions* | |
| Exceptions enabled by policy | 10 (42) |
| Processes understood but not formalized | 4 (17) |
| No initial policy or process, but developed over study period | 7 (29) |
| No policy | 3 (13) |
| Agreement, no. of pairs (% agreement)† | 5 (100) |
| Decision-making authority | |
| PICU (physician, manager or charge nurse) | 9 (38) |
| Hospital director | 8 (33) |
| Infection prevention and control or emergency operations | 6 (25) |
| Hospital executive | 1 (4) |
| Agreement, no. of pairs (% agreement)† | 5 (40) |
Note: PICU = pediatric intensive care unit.
↵* Exceptions referred to enabling deviation from policy in certain circumstances. Examples of exceptions were: allowing more people at the bedside; allowing siblings; allowing more frequent switches of parents or other family members.
↵† Physician chief and operations manager pairs from the same unit for which both provided an answer to the given variable.