Family Witnessed Resuscitation

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Family Witnessed Resuscitation

• Eilis Madden RGN, BSc, DipMang, HDipAE, MSc.
• Staff Nurse, Emergency Dept. CUH.

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Aim of the Study

• To Examine Emergency Nurses Current Practices
  and Understanding of Family Presence During
  Cardio-Pulmonary and Trauma Resuscitation in the
  Emergency Department, Cork University Hospital.

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Background

• Family Witnessed Resuscitation (FWR) is the
  process of active medical CPR in the presence of
  family members.
• FWR first emerged in the 1980s and the practice
  has steadily evolved due to public demand and a
  growing body of research on the subject.
• The literature illustrates the benefits of FWR to
  patients and families however despite this data
  the practice remains an ethical, moral and legal
  dilemma for many healthcare professionals.

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Literature Review

• 3 main points discussed
• Healthcare professionals perceptions of FWR.
• Families perceptions of FWR.
• Psychological Effects.

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Objectives of the Study

• To ascertain emergency nurses preferences
  regarding family presence during CPR and trauma
  resuscitation.
• To ascertain nurses knowledge of policies in
  relation to FWR.
• To identify the barriers and facilitators to
  permitting family presence during CPR and trauma
  resuscitation.

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Methodology

• Quantitative descriptive design was utilised for
  the study.
• The sample was 100 emergency nurses with at
  least six months emergency nursing experience.
• A questionnaire developed by the Emergency Nurses
  Association was used for data collection.
• Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS)
  was used to analyse the data.

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Findings

• 90 emergency nurses responded to questionnaire
  resulting in response rate of 90.
• 74.4 believed the unit allowed the option of FWR
  for CPR and 1.2 for trauma resuscitation.
• Emergency nurses often took families to the
  resuscitation room (58.9 for CPR, 29.9 for
  trauma resuscitation).
• 74.4 would prefer a written policy allowing the
  option of FWR for CPR and trauma resuscitation.

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Findings

• The most significant barrier to FWR was conflicts
  occurring within the emergency team (58.1).
• The most significant facilitator to FWR was a
  greater understanding of healthcare professionals
  on the benefits of FWR for patients and families
  (96.6).

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Implications for Practice

• Policy development for the safe and efficient
  practice of FWR with consensus of
  multidisciplinary team.
• Development of an educational programme on FWR.
• Further research is required on emergency
  doctors opinions of FWR.
• Research on relatives and patients views and
  attitudes on FWR is also required.

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Conclusion

• The findings from this research add to the body
  of nursing knowledge increasing awareness on the
  practice of FWR in clinical practice.
• The findings also indicate the need for an
  educational programme and policy development for
  the practice of FWR.

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Thank You
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