Family Presence During Trauma Resuscitation: Family Members’ Attitudes, Behaviors, and Experiences

Background: The emergency department of B.P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, a 700 bedded tertiary care centre provides all medical and surgical services, with easy access to patients by their family members during most of the resuscitation procedures. Complete privacy hence is not ideally maintained. Coping with emotional stress among the family members can be a gruesome experience and reactions from them can be unpredictable. Hence, health professionals are usually exposed to various emotions of the family members of these sick patients.Methods: It is a descriptive cross sectional study among the health professionals working in the emergency department. A sample size of 80 is taken over a period of 3 months. A semi-structured questionnaire leaflet was distributed and collected by the researcher. The attitude and belief was evaluated by 12 questions on the 5 point Liker scale and cutoff value being 3. Points less than 36 were given as negative attitude towards the family presence and more being positive.Results: Out of 80samples, 75 completed with a response rate of about 94%. The majority belonged to age group 20-29 years (70.7%) age, among profession Nurses respondents were about 56%. Male and Female respondent were about equal in numbers, qualification with undergraduate level was higher (73.3%), with an experience of less than 1year being 40%. Amongst the responders there is a positive attitude with increasing age, experience and qualification.Conclusion: The health professionals had a negative attitude towards the presence of family members during the resuscitation or invasive procedures. Hence with the ethnicity and cultural aspect of family their presence is well accepted. Health Renaissance 2015;13 (3): 152-160

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A Descriptive Study of Chaplains’ Code Blue Responses

American Journal of Critical Care ◽

10.4037/ajcc2021854 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 30 (6) ◽

pp. 419-425

Author(s):

Carolina D. Tennyson ◽

John P. Oliver ◽

Karen R. Jooste

Keyword(s):

Spiritual Care ◽

Family Members ◽

Time Frame ◽

Respiratory Arrest ◽

Health Care Team ◽

Patient Death ◽

Bereavement Support ◽

Family Presence ◽

Code Blue

Background Family presence during resuscitation is the compassionate practice of allowing a patient’s family to witness treatment for cardiac or respiratory arrest (code blue event) when appropriate. Offering family presence during resuscitation as an interprofessional practice is consistent with patient- and family-centered care. In many institutions, the role of family facilitator is not formalized and may be performed by various staff members. At the large academic institution of this study, the family facilitator is a member of the chaplain staff. Objectives To examine the frequency of family presence during code blue events and describe the role of chaplains as family facilitators. Methods Chaplain staff documented information about their code responses daily from January 2012 through April 2020. They documented their response time, occurrence of patient death, presence of family at the event, and services they provided. A retrospective data review was performed. Results Chaplains responded to 1971 code blue pages during this time frame. Family members were present at 53% of code blue events. Chaplains provided multiple services, including crisis support, compassionate presence, spiritual care, bereavement support, staff debriefing, and prayer with and for patients, families, and staff. Conclusions Family members are frequently present during code blue events. Chaplains are available to respond to all such events and provide a variety of immediate and longitudinal services to patients, families, and members of the health care team. Their experience in crisis management, spiritual care, and bereavement support makes them ideally suited to serve as family facilitators during resuscitation events.

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Family Presence During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Invasive Procedures: Practices of Critical Care and Emergency Nurses

American Journal of Critical Care ◽

10.4037/ajcc2003.12.3.246 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 246-257 ◽

Cited By ~ 82

Author(s):

Susan L. MacLean ◽

Cathie E. Guzzetta ◽

Cheri White ◽

Dorrie Fontaine ◽

Dezra J. Eichhorn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Critical Care ◽

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ◽

American Association ◽

Family Members ◽

Invasive Procedure ◽

Critical Care Nurses ◽

Invasive Procedures ◽

Emergency Nurses ◽

Family Presence ◽

Do So

• Background Increasingly, patients’ families are remaining with them during cardiopulmonary resuscitation and invasive procedures, but this practice remains controversial and little is known about the practices of critical care and emergency nurses related to family presence. • Objective To identify the policies, preferences, and practices of critical care and emergency nurses for having patients’ families present during resuscitation and invasive procedures. • Methods A 30-item survey was mailed to a random sample of 1500 members of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and 1500 members of the Emergency Nurses Association. • Results Among the 984 respondents, 5% worked on units with written policies allowing family presence during both resuscitation and invasive procedures and 45% and 51%, respectively, worked on units that allowed it without written policies during resuscitation or during invasive procedures. Some respondents preferred written policies allowing family presence (37% for resuscitation, 35% for invasive procedures), whereas others preferred unwritten policies allowing it (39% for resuscitation, 41% for invasive procedures). Many respondents had taken family members to the bedside (36% for resuscitation, 44% for invasive procedure) or would do so in the future (21% for resuscitation, 18% for invasive procedures), and family members often asked to be present (31% for resuscitation, 61% for invasive procedures). • Conclusions Nearly all respondents have no written policies for family presence yet most have done (or would do) it, prefer it be allowed, and are confronted with requests from family members to be present. Written policies or guidelines for family presence during resuscitation and invasive procedures are recommended.

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Attitudes Toward and Beliefs About Family Presence: A Survey of Healthcare Providers, Patients’ Families, and Patients

American Journal of Critical Care ◽

10.4037/ajcc2007.16.3.270 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 270-279 ◽

Cited By ~ 103

Author(s):

Christine R. Duran ◽

Kathleen S. Oman ◽

Jenni Jordan Abel ◽

Virginia M. Koziel ◽

Deborah Szymanski

Keyword(s):

Neonatal Intensive Care ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Family Members ◽

Emotional Responses ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care Units ◽

Family Presence ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

The Family ◽

And Performance ◽

Accepted Practice

Background Although some healthcare providers remain hesitant, family presence, defined as the presence of patients’ family members during resuscitation and/or invasive procedures, is becoming an accepted practice. Evidence indicates that family presence is beneficial to patients and their families. Objectives To describe and compare the beliefs about and attitudes toward family presence of clinicians, patients’ families, and patients. Methods Clinicians, patients’ families, and patients in the emergency department and adult and neonatal intensive care units of a 300-bed urban academic hospital were surveyed. Results Surveys were completed by 202 clinicians, 72 family members, and 62 patients. Clinicians had positive attitudes toward family presence but had concerns about safety, the emotional responses of the family members, and performance anxiety. Nurses had more favorable attitudes toward family presence than physicians did. Patients and their families had positive attitudes toward family presence. Conclusions Family presence is beneficial to patients, patients’ families, and healthcare providers. As family presence becomes a more accepted practice, healthcare providers will need to accommodate patients’ families at the bedside and address the barriers that impede the practice.

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Should family members be present during resuscitation in the A and E department?Hung MSY, Pang SMC (2010) Family presence preference when patients are receiving resuscitation in an accident and emergency department. J Adv Nurs 67(1) 56–67

British Journal of Cardiac Nursing ◽

10.12968/bjca.2011.6.2.95b ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 95-96

Author(s):

Belinda Linden

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Family Members ◽

Family Presence ◽

Accident And Emergency ◽

Accident And Emergency Department

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Family presence during resuscitation: Perspective of family members and emergency care providers

Resuscitation ◽

10.1016/j.resuscitation.2015.09.072 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 96 ◽

pp. 31

Author(s):

Emilie Masquelier ◽

Tina Vandecasteele ◽

Sofie Verhaeghe

Keyword(s):

Emergency Care ◽

Family Members ◽

Care Providers ◽

Family Presence

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Trauma surgeons’ attitude towards family presence during trauma resuscitation: A nationwide survey

Resuscitation ◽

10.1016/j.resuscitation.2007.04.015 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 75 (2) ◽

pp. 267-275 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Chlodwig Kirchhoff ◽

Julia Stegmaier ◽

Sonja Buhmann ◽

Bernd A. Leidel ◽

Peter Biberthaler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nationwide Survey ◽

Trauma Resuscitation ◽

Family Presence ◽

Trauma Surgeons

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Meanings attributed by family and patients to family presence in emergency rooms

Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem ◽

10.1590/0034-7167-2018-0814 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 72 (6) ◽

pp. 1684-1691

Author(s):

Mayckel da Silva Barreto ◽

Cristina Garcia-Vivar ◽

José Luís Guedes dos Santos ◽

Daniela Gomes Simões Maciel ◽

Laura Misue Matsuda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Care ◽

Family Members ◽

Emergency Rooms ◽

Family Presence ◽

Health Team ◽

The Family ◽

Emergency Units ◽

Family Benefits ◽

South Of Brazil ◽

Support Family

ABSTRACT Objective: to understand the process that leads adult and family patients to support family presence in emergency care. Method: a qualitative study that adopted Symbolic Interactionism as a theoretical reference and the Grounded Theory as a methodological framework. The theoretical sample consisted of 15 relatives and 15 patients assisted at two emergency units in the South of Brazil. Data were analyzed using open, axial and selective coding. Results: the central category “Convergence of ideas: family members and patients supporting family presence in emergency care” is supported by the categories: “Affectionate relationship among family members”; “Tacit obligation to care for the sick relative”; “Benefits for the family”; “Benefits for the patient”; and “Benefits for the health team”. Conclusion: family presence in emergency care provides maintenance and strengthening of affectionate bonds among relatives and the experience of more sensitive and qualified care.

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