What Is a Patient Sitter?

A patient sitter is a Children’s Wisconsin team member who will help keep your child safe.

What Types of Sitters Are There at Children’s?

There are 2 types of patient sitters at Children’s Wisconsin: virtual and in-person. The type of sitter is chosen based on the reasons why your child needs a sitter. The type of sitter could change during your child’s hospital stay.

• In-person sitters are team members who sit in your child’s room with your child. They can go with your child to other areas of the hospital.
• Virtual sitters are team members who watch your child and what’s going on around them from another room in the hospital. A camera is used to watch your child and the room. The camera may be part of the room or on a mobile cart that is brought into your child’s room. If your child needs to go to another room or area of the hospital, an in-person sitter may go with them.

Why Would My Child Have a Sitter?

There are a lot of reasons why sitters may be used. Some examples include a child who:

• may try to hurt themselves or others.
• is at risk for falling and needs reminders to ask for help.
• is at risk for pulling out a line or tube.
• needs constant supervision to stay safe.

A child may need a patient sitter for other reasons, too. Your child’s nurse will let you know if your child needs a sitter. Your child may need a patient sitter for all their hospital stay or just some of it.

What Are Some Common Questions That Parents Have About Sitters?

I can stay with my child. Do they still need a sitter?

Sometimes. The sitter is there to keep your child safe. Sometimes, even when you are there, a Children’s staff member needs to watch your child to make sure that they follow the treatment plan or to make sure they do not hurt themselves. The nurse or your child’s team will let you know if this is the case.

Will my child need a sitter when they are in the bathroom?

If your child needs a sitter to stay safe, it means that the sitter needs to make sure your child is safe in the bathroom, too. The sitter will try to give as much privacy as they can, but they still need to watch for safety.

Does my child need a sitter while they are sleeping?

Yes, most of the time. We need to make sure that your child stays safe at night, too. We don’t always know when a child will sleep, even if they have a normal routine at home. Your nurse can tell you if they decide a sitter is not needed at night. A child who has a sitter because they tried to hurt themselves will have a sitter all the time, including at night.

Will my child have a sitter the whole time they are in the hospital?

Maybe, it depends on why your child needs a sitter and the level of supervision needed to keep them safe. The team will work together to decide if a sitter is needed.

My child has a virtual sitter. What are some things I should know?

• There is a yellow light on the camera. If it is on, it means that a sitter can see into the room. If the light is off, it means that a sitter is not watching your child or the room.
• The camera cannot record.
• The camera may be put into privacy mode when your child’s nurse or doctor is working with your child. This allows your child as much privacy as possible.
• The cameras allow the sitter to talk to you, but the sitter is not always listening to the room. Ask your nurse how to talk to the sitter.
• If a virtual sitter sees your child is doing something that isn’t safe, like pulling an IV or doing something that could make them fall, then a loud alarm on the camera may go off. This lets the nurses know that someone needs to check on your child quickly to keep them safe.

If you have more questions, ask your child’s nurse.