Healthcare professionals’ experiences and attitudes towards family-witnessed resuscitation: A cross-sectional study

Family presence during in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation: effects of an educational online intervention on self-confidence and attitudes of healthcare professionals

AIMS

Guidelines support family-witnessed resuscitation (FWR) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in hospital if deemed to be safe, yet barriers amongst healthcare professionals (HCPs) still exist. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of an educational online video intervention on nurses' and physicians' attitudes towards in-hospital FWR and their self-confidence in managing such situations.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A pre- and post-test quasi-experimental study was conducted October 2022 to March 2023 at six Swedish hospitals involving the departments of emergency care, medicine, and surgery. The 10 min educational video intervention was based on previous research covering the prevalence and outcome of FWR, attitudes of HCP, patient and family experiences, and practical and ethical guidelines about FWR.In total, 193 accepted participation, whereof 91 answered the post-test survey (47.2%) with complete data available for 78 and 61 participants for self-confidence and attitudes, respectively. The self-confidence total mean scores increased from 3.83 to 4.02 (P < 0.001) as did the total mean scores for attitudes towards FWR (3.38 to 3.62, P < 0.001). The majority (71.0%) had positive views of FWR at baseline and had experiences of in-hospital FWR (58.0%). Self-confidence was highest amongst participants for the delivery of chest compressions (91.2%), defibrillation (88.6%), and drug administration (83.3%) during FWR. Self-confidence was lowest (58.1%) for encouraging and attending to the family during resuscitation.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that a short online educational video can be an effective way to improve HCP's self-confidence and attitudes towards the inclusion of family members during resuscitation and can support HCP in making informed decisions about FWR.

Nurses' experiences of provision family-centred care in the postresuscitation period: A qualitative study

AIM

This study aimed to explore nurses' experiences of providing family-centred care in the postresuscitation period.

DESIGN

An exploratory-descriptive qualitative design was used.

METHODS

In this qualitative study, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 nurses in three educational hospitals. There were six participants who completed follow-up interviews to resolve questions generated during initial interviews. Data were analysed using conventional content analysis.

RESULTS

Five main categories were extracted: continuous monitoring, facilitation of attendance, involvement in care, informing and emotional support. Despite the lack of organizational policies and guidelines, nurses explained how they work to provide family-centred care for families, especially those they assessed as having less possibility of aggressive behaviour and those with a better understanding of their loved one's condition. To provide postresuscitation family-centred care, nurses facilitated family attendance, involved them in some basic nursing care, and provided information and emotional support to the family members.

CONCLUSION

Nurses attempted to follow the basic principles of family-centred care in the postresuscitation period. However, to improve the provision of care by nurses, it is necessary to embed family-centred care principles in institutional policies and guidelines and to conduct training for nurses.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION

Iranian nurses are interested in engaged families in the postresuscitation period. Correct implementations of such care that include all families need institutional policies and guidelines.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No patient or public contribution.

Health professionals and family members during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: A qualitative study on the experience of witnessing resuscitation in Jordanian critical care units

BACKGROUND

The interaction between healthcare professionals (HCPs) and family members during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in critical care units (CCUs) has received significant attention. In the Arabic region, family members are typically excluded from participating in critical care treatments, despite the cultural and religious significance of their presence. This highlights a lack of policies and research addressing the cultural factors related to family involvement in CPR within this context.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of the relationship between HCPs and family member relations during CPR in Jordanian CCUs.

METHODS

This study employed a qualitative research design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 45 participants, including 31 HCPs and 14 family members of patients who had undergone CPR in Jordan. Data was managed, organized, and thematically analyzed using NVivo.

RESULTS

The study revealed three main themes: Family-Witnessed Resuscitation (FWR) through the eyes of HCPs, FWR through the eyes of family members, and the relationship between HCPs and family members during CPR. The last theme has three subthemes: "Looking out for the Patient," "Looking out for Ourselves," and "Looking out for Each Other." These themes highlighted the complex and dynamic relationships between HCPs and family members during CPR in Jordan. Participants emphasized the importance of clear communication, mutual respect, and a collaborative approach to decision-making during CPR.

CONCLUSION

The resultant study model uniquely explains the relationship between Jordanian health professionals and family members during CPR, with important implications for clinical practice and healthcare policies regarding family involvement during resuscitation in Jordan. Further research is needed to explore the cultural and societal factors influencing family involvement in resuscitation in Jordan and other Arab countries.

Experiences of family-witnessed cardiopulmonary resuscitation in hospital and its impact on life: An interview study with cardiac arrest survivors and their family members

AIM

To explore experiences of cardiac arrest in-hospital and the impact on life for the patient who suffered the arrest and the family member who witnessed the resuscitation.

BACKGROUND

Guidelines advocate that the family should be offered the option to be present during resuscitation, but little is known about family-witnessed cardiopulmonary resuscitation in hospital and the impact on the patient and their family.

DESIGN

A qualitative design consisting of joint in-depth interviews with patients and family members.

METHODS

Family interviews were conducted with seven patients and their eight corresponding family members (aged 19-85 years) 4-10 months after a family-witnessed in-hospital cardiac arrest. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The study followed the guidelines outlined in the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist.

RESULTS

The participants felt insignificant and abandoned following the in-hospital cardiac arrest. Surviving patients and their close family members felt excluded, alone and abandoned throughout the care process; relationships, emotions and daily life were affected and gave rise to existential distress. Three themes and eight subordinate themes were identified: (1) the intrusion of death-powerless in the face of the fragility of life, highlights what it is like to suffer a cardiac arrest and to cope with an immediate threat to life; (2) being totally exposed-feeling vulnerable in the care relationship, describes how a lack of care from healthcare staff damaged trust; (3) learning to live again-making sense of an existential threat, pertaining to the family's reactions to a difficult event that impacts relationships but also leads to a greater appreciation of life and a positive view of the future.

CONCLUSION

Surviving and witnessing a cardiac arrest in-hospital is a critical event for everyone involved. Patients and family members are vulnerable in this situation and need to be seen and heard, both in the hospital and after hospital discharge. Consequently, healthcare staff need to show compassion and attend to the needs of the family, which involves continually assessing how family members are coping during the process, and providing support and information during and after resuscitation.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

It is important to provide support to family members who witness the resuscitation of a loved one in-hospital. Structured follow-up care is crucial for cardiac arrest survivors and their families. To promote person-centred care, nurses need interprofessional training on how to support family members during resuscitation, and follow-up care focusing on providing resources for multiple challenges faced by survivors (emotional, cognitive, physical) and families (emotional) is needed.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

In-hospital cardiac arrest patients and family members were involved when designing the study.

Overcoming the barriers to optimal end of life care in the emergency department

The focus of care in the emergency department (ED) is on saving or sustaining life, but some patients admitted to the ED die in the ED. Nurses whose focus is on saving lives may therefore find themselves providing end of life care to patients and their families in a stressful and distressing environment. Providing optimal end of life care involves reflecting on what a good death looks like and how patients can be supported to have a good death. This article describes the barriers to optimal end of life care in the ED and prompts nurses to think about how they can enhance their practice when caring for dying patients and their families.

Family presence during patient acute deterioration: A survey of nurses' attitudes and reflection on COVID-19 in an African setting

Introduction

Acute deterioration refers to a patient who has become physiologically unstable requiring acute care. Family presence during resuscitation efforts has been widely supported by literature. Nurses are often the primary contact for the families of patients in the emergency centre, playing an important role in facilitating family presence during acute care. To describe nurses’ attitudes regarding family presence during the management of acutely deteriorating patients in the emergency centre.

Methods

A descriptive quantitative study was conducted in the emergency centres of three public hospitals in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. A total sample of professional nurses (n = 57) were recruited, to complete the Emergency Department Family Presence (EDFP) survey. Statements about the negative effects of family presence during acute care of a deteriorating patient were presented and respondents were required to agree or disagree. Data were analysed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression.

Results

The majority of the nurses agreed with the items in the EDFP survey agreeing that present relatives may misinterpret activities of health care professionals (92.8%) which can result in complaints about the quality of care (91.1%). Nurses with more years of experience (11–21 years) were more likely to disagree with the statements on family presence having negative effects on patient care than nurses with fewer years of experience (0–10 years) (OR:6.92; 95%CI: 1.29–37.28).

Discussion

Nurses have the perception that family presence has a largely negative effect on patients, patient care and the families present during acute care. The contextual application of the practice of family presence during acute deterioration in an African setting needs investigation and the need for continued professional education on family centred care is emphasised. Alternative methods of facilitating family presence during the COVID-19 Pandemic must be considered as we advocate for the self determination of families and patients.

Emergency Room Nurses' Attitudes toward Family Presence during Resuscitation: A Cross-Sectional Study

INTRODUCTION

Although there are guidelines that encourage the family presence during cardiopulmonary resuscitation, literature that reported on the healthcare team's attitudes suggested that this practice is often discouraged, and it remains a debatable topic.

AIM

To assess the Emergency Room Nurses' Attitudes toward family presence during cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedures.

RESEARCH DESIGN

A cross-sectional descriptive correlation research design was used for this study.

PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT

A non-probability convenience sample for this study comprised 222 registered nurses who have worked in emergency departments. The study used Family Presence During Resuscitation scale to collect the data related to nurses' attitude toward family presence during CPR.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

This study was approved by the ethics committee at Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan.

RESULTS

Jordanian nurses had a positive attitude toward the health beliefs with a mean score of (3.71 ± 0.81), followed by cues and triggers (3.60 ± 0.82). The least attitude endorsed by nurses was perceived self-efficacy with a mean score of (2.87 ± 0.80). Point-biserial correlation yielded a positive correlation between marital status and cues or triggers (r = 0.055; p = 0.043). Moreover, person correlation showed a positive relationship between age and health beliefs (r = 00.134; p = 0.040) and a negative correlation between experience and self-efficacy (r=-0.141; p = 0.043).

CONCLUSION

Enhancing nurses' confidence based on evidence-based practice would prepare nurses to handle family presence during resuscitation.

The Healthcare Staffs' Perception of Parents' Participation in Critical Incidents at the PICU, a Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND

Internationally, there are very few guidelines regarding how near relations can be taken care of on a children's intensive care unit. Despite knowledge about the positive effects of parental presence, staff frequently reject parents out of insecurity. This study aimed to investigate health professionals' understanding of letting parents be present throughout critical situations. A qualitative method with semi-structured interviews was used to answer the aim of his study. Nine persons participated in the study, both physicians and nurses. The result showed that health professionals' main view is that parents' presence is positive. However, their presence often has lower priority than the medical focus of the child and the health professionals' concern of failure.

CONCLUSION

Health professionals have the power to decide if parents can be present in critical situations. Only when a parent demands to be present does that demand beat the decisions made by health professionals. Lack of resources within the team and fear of parents becoming a disturbance or a distraction are cited as the primary reasons not to let parents be present.

In-hospital family-witnessed resuscitation with a focus on the prevalence, processes, and outcomes of resuscitation: A retrospective observational cohort study

AIM

International and national guidelines support in-hospital, family-witnessed resuscitation, provided that patients are not negatively affected. Empirical evidence regarding whether family presence interferes with resuscitation procedures is still scarce. The aim was to describe the prevalence and processes of family-witnessed resuscitation in hospitalised adult patients, and to investigate associations between family-witnessed resuscitation and the outcomes of resuscitation.

METHODS

Nationwide observational cohort study based on data from the Swedish Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

RESULTS

In all, 3257 patients with sudden, in-hospital cardiac arrests were included. Of those, 395 had family on site (12%), of whom 186 (6%) remained at the scene. It was more common to offer family the option to stay during resuscitation if the cardiac arrest occurred in emergency departments, intensive-care units or cardiac-care units, compared to hospital wards (44% vs. 26%, p < 0.001). It was also more common for a staff member to be assigned to take care of family in acute settings (68% vs. 56%, p = 0.017). Mean time from cardiac arrest to termination of resuscitation was longer in the presence of family (20.67 min vs. 17.49 min, p = 0.020), also when controlling for different patient and contextual covariates in a regression model (Stand(β) 0.039, p = 0.027). No differences were found between family-witnessed and non-family-witnessed resuscitation in survival immediately after resuscitation (57% vs. 53%, p = 0.291) or after 30 days (35% vs. 29%, p = 0.086).

CONCLUSIONS

In-hospital, family-witnessed resuscitation is uncommon, but the processes and outcomes do not seem to be negatively affected, suggesting that staff should routinely invite family to witness resuscitation.

Family presence during resuscitation: adaptation and validation into Spanish of the Family Presence Risk-Benefit scale and the Self-Confidence scale instrument

BACKGROUND

Family Presence during Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation has been studied both to identify the opinions of health professionals, patients, and family members, and to identify benefits and barriers, as well as to design protocols for its implementation. R. Twibell and her team designed an instrument that measured nurses' perceptions of Risks-Benefits and Self-Confidence regarding Family Presence during Resuscitation. There are few studies in Spain on this practice.

METHODS

The aim is to adapt and validate into Spanish the Family Presence Risk-Benefit scale and Family Presence Self-Confidence scale instrument. For this purpose, this instrument was translated cross-culturally, and administered in paper and online version. Statistical tests were carried out for the validity of the questionnaire. Five hundred forty-one healthcare professionals were invited to respond. The results were analyzed by the same statistical procedures as in the original scale. Ethical approvals and research permissions were obtained according to national standards.

RESULTS

Two hundred thirty-seven healthcare professionals (43.8%) answered the survey (69% women), of whom 167 were nurses. Validation of instruments: Cronbach's α in Family Presence Risk-Benefit scale was 0.94. Cronbach's α in Family Presence Self-Confidence scale was 0.96. Factor Analysis Kaiser, Meyer and Olkin (KMO) was greater than 0.9. The correlation between the two measured scales, is significant and has a moderate intensity of the relationship (r = 0.65 and α < 0.001). A lower predisposition to Family Presence during Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation is observed, but the pure detractors are only 12%. Doctors are more reluctant than nurses.

CONCLUSIONS

The psychometric properties of the questionnaire in Spanish indicate high validity and reliability. Risk-Benefit perception and Self-Confidence are related to the healthcare professionals who consider the Family Presence to be beneficial. More studies in different contexts are necessary to confirm the psychometric results and validity of this instrument in Spanish.

The witness of the patient’s relatives increases the anxiety of the physician, but decreases the anxiety of the relatives of the patient

Background:

We generally keep relatives out of the area while a critical intervention so they cannot observe the management. Recent studies recommend witnessing of the resuscitation by arguing that it supports the patient’s relatives’ beliefs that everything that could be done had been done.

Objective:

We investigated the influence of family witness on the anxiety of patients’ relatives and on the healthcare team.

Methods:

This study was planned as a prospective observational study. The critical patients who were managed in the resuscitation room with or without intubation were included in the study. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory survey form was given to patients’ relatives. Healthcare providers were given a survey, including a visual analog scale of anxiety.

Results:

The mean visual analog scale score of healthcare providers was 4.37 ± 2.5. The mean visual analog scale score of allied health personnel was similar to resident doctors but lower than consultant doctors. The anxiety of healthcare providers was higher during witnessed management. In the witnessed management group, the anxiety of healthcare providers was higher in patients who received cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The mean State-Trait Anxiety Inventory anxiety score of patients’ relatives was 50.2 ± 10.3. In witnessed management, the mean anxiety score was 49.5 ± 11.3; in non-witnessed management, the score was 51.0 ± 9.3. The anxiety of patients’ relatives was not higher, but rather slightly lower during witnessed management of patients.

Conclusion:

In our study, the anxiety of healthcare providers was higher in family-witnessed management. It was argued that consultant physicians were more anxious because they have more responsibility about the patients. With witnessed management, the anxiety of patients’ relatives could be reduced, but it is more ominous for healthcare professionals.