Abstract
Family presence during resuscitation efforts is an area that has gained increased attention over the last decade. Family members and nurses alike are beginning to see the benefits of allowing family to be at the bedside during this critical time in the patient's life. One study notes a nurse who stated:
I once was traumatized during a pediatric cardiac arrest (during an outpatient procedure) where the father witnessed the arrest (of his daughter) and was not allowed to stay during CPR. He asked repeatedly to come in and "say goodbye" while she was still alive. He wanted to hold her hand. Not only was he kept from the room, but security was called to keep him out. The child did not survive. She was 6. No one would ever keep me from seeing my child. He just wanted to be with her when she died, and we took that away from him. How unfortunate that written policies are needed in this area.
Tradition and thinking that "This is the way it has always been done" has led researchers to dig deep into this topic and make suggestions for nurses and families on the basis of their findings. The presence of and need for written policies for family presence during resuscitation is a topic that has been heavily studied in the two research studies reported in this article.