Family Presence during CPR — The Experiences and Attitudes of Code Team Members

Family presence during CPR The experiences and attitudes of code team members

Internationally, but hardly in Scandinavia, the presence of family members during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has been discussed. With reference to such situations, the aim of this study was to survey the experiences and attitudes of Swedish code team members. A questionnaire was distributed to 107 nurses and 107 physicians in the departments of anaesthesiology, cardiology, and accident and emergency. The response rate was 82%. A small minority had heard family members ask permission to be present during CPR. More than half of the respondents were of the opinion that some family members want to be present, while one fourth believed that none of them wants it. If family members express a wish to be present, less than half of the respondents answered that the wish 〈Always〉 or 〈Often〉 should be respected. The nurses were a little more permissive than the physicians were. Many, but not all respondents thought that the family members would perceive presence as a disagreeable experience. With such differences in attitudes, general recommendations are difficult to justify. More empirical knowledge about the experiences and attitudes of family members, who have been present during CPR, as well as potential CPR patients, is also needed.