Family Presence in Emergency Medical Services for Children

The presence of family at the bedside during a cardiopulmonary resuscitation is uncommon in most institutions and has generated strong debates within the healthcare community during the past decade. However, the time-honored practice of banning families from the bedside during emergency procedures appears to be grounded by tradition rather than by evidence based on the outcomes of actual family presence (FP) events. Family presence is explored within the framework of patient-family–centered care and from the context of resuscitation outcomes. The focus of this review examines research findings investigating the effects of FP during cardiopulmonary resuscitation and invasive procedures on family members, patients, and providers. The process of developing FP programs based on models of evidence-based practice to promote quality patient care is described. Finally, the application of FP to the prehospital environment is explored.

Keywords: family presence during CPR, family-witnessed CPR, codes, pediatric emergency nursing, pediatric emergency medicine, family needs, patient needs, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, invasive procedures