• Gabriela Peguero-Rodriguez, Viola Polomeno, Chantal Backman, Julie Chartrand, and Michelle Lalonde.
• J Emerg Nurs. 2023 Jul 1; 49 (4): 611630611-630.

IntroductionSeniors are often accompanied by a family member to the emergency department. Families advocate for their needs and contribute to the continuity of care. However, they often feel excluded from care. To improve the quality and safety of care for seniors, it is necessary to consider the experience of families in the emergency department. The aim was to identify and synthesize the available scientific literature dealing with the experience of families accompanying a senior to the emergency department. To identify and synthesize the available scientific literature dealing with the experience of families accompanying a senior to the emergency department.MethodsA scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O'Malley framework. Six databases were targeted. A description of the identified scientific literature and an inductive content analysis were performed.ResultsOf the 3082 articles retrieved, 19 met the inclusion criteria. Most articles (89%) were published since 2010, were from nursing (63%), and used a qualitative research design (79%). The content analysis identified 4 main categories related to the experience of families accompanying a senior to the emergency department: (1) process leading to the emergency department, families feel uncertainty and ambiguity with the decision to go to the emergency department; (2) staying in the emergency department, families' experiences are influenced by the triage, the ED environment, and the interactions with ED personnel; (3) discharge from the emergency department, families consider that they should be part of the discharge planning; and (4) recommendations and possible solutions, there is a paucity of recommendations specifically focused on families.DiscussionThe experience of families of seniors in the emergency department is multifactorial and part of a trajectory of care and health services.Copyright © 2023 Emergency Nurses Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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