Objective: To estimate the prevalence of state anxiety and the difference in the level of anxiety in caregivers of patients in ICU with and without restriction of visits, at the Clínica Los Andes Tunja during April 2017 to September 2017. Methodology: Study of a quasi-experimental type in which two groups of family members of the patients were identified, exposed to a policy of restricting visits (current policy of the clinic), and to the protocol of flexible visits ICU Los Andes. The selection of the sample units was sequential every time the patients were admitted to the ICU, a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Trait-State Anxiety Inventory (TSAI) were applied, and a format of clinical variables of each patient was filled out. Results: Mann-Whitney test and It was found that the prevalence of state anxiety in caregivers of critical patients and the variation in the level of this have statistically significant differences in two conditions: restriction and no restriction of visits (p 0.001). Discussion: Although the decrease in the prevalence and level of anxiety state of patients caregivers-relatives in a type of open ICU, is demonstrated in this study and it is consistent with the results of previous studies, the limitation is that the inference of these findings to other hospital and intensive care settings are limited by the small sample size; Even so, this study is a benchmark against the scarce research in Colombia, which makes it possible to demonstrate the impact of flexible or restricted visits on the anxiety levels of family caregivers and it is expected that the obtained results will contribute to reflect, consider and even to develop transformative policies in the ICUs, that benefit the patients relatives.
