In the MICU, a unit council comprised of elected representatives of interdisciplinary healthcare professionals was charged with making unit decisions. An area of frequent conflict was the issue of visiting hours for families of patients. Many
nurses expressed varying levels of discomfort with the presence of family during patient procedures. The leader was able to provide the unit council with research supporting the contributions that family members make to the recovery process of patients. The unit council subsequently decided to reduce visiting hour restrictions and support greater family involvement.