• Gineen Ferrara, Denise Ramponi, and Thomas W Cline.
• ConvenientCare and Business Care settings (Dr Ferrara) and Emergency Department and ConvenientCare settings (Dr Ramponi), Heritage Valley Health System, Sewickley, Pennsylvania; School of Nursing & Health Sciences, Robert Morris University, Moon Township, Pennsylvania (Drs Ramponi and Cline); and Alex G. McKenna School, Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, Pennsylvania (Dr Cline).
• Adv Emerg Nurs J. 2016 Jan 1; 38 (1): 32-42.

AbstractFamily presence during resuscitation (FPDR) has been an ongoing topic of discussion in many hospital emergency departments throughout the United States. With the current emphasis promoting patient- and family-centered care, families are now exercising their right to be present at the bedside during resuscitation. With or without a policy, there is continued resistance to allow families to remain with their loved ones during resuscitation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if an evidence-based educational intervention would increase physicians' and nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and compliance with allowing FPDR. This quasi-experimental study evaluated 30 attending physicians' and 65 registered nurses' knowledge of an existing family presence policy and their attitudes toward family presence post-educational intervention in an emergency department setting. Compliance of family presence was observed for 2 months pre- and post-educational intervention. Results show that most physicians and nurses either were not sure or were not aware that there was an existing written policy. The study demonstrated that nurses agree more than physicians that the option of FPDR is a patient/family right. The results also showed that the educational intervention had no effect on the physicians and nurses attitudes for FPDR, but it did change behaviors. Of the events involving professionals who were exposed to the educational intervention, family members were present 87.5% of the time. In contrast, only 23% of the events involving professionals who did not receive the educational intervention had families present. Ongoing staff education will heighten awareness to FPDR, make the staff more comfortable with families being present, and will presumably continue to increase invitations for FPDR.

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