In

a previous issue of Critical Care, Liu and colleagues embark upon a timely and important topic: visitation practices in US ICUs [1]. Th ere are many benefi ts to open visitation. Patients feel supported [2] and safe [3]. Families are more satisfi ed with care and are less anxious [4]. Healthcare providers have increased opportunities for communication and teaching [2]. Because of these benefi ts, open and un-restricted visitation in ICUs has been recommended by critical care groups [5,6]. However, Liu and colleagues report that almost all US ICUs (90%) have restrictive visitation policies, and most (62%) have three or more restrictions. What is disconcerting is that these fi ndings are not all that diff erent from those reported in 2007, where only 32 % of ICUs had open visitation [7]. Even thi