Nurses’ views of family presence at the bedside during resuscitation

Family presence during resuscitation has been an ongoing issue in many hospitals across the nation and around the world. Nurses play a pivotal role in negotiating and supporting family presence during end-of-life crisis. Many hospitals do not have policies in place to guide nurses’ decision-making regarding family presence during resuscitation. Research suggests that nurses’ attitudes on the subject are varied, and reports of nurses’ perceptions are conflicting (Twibell et al., 2008). The purpose of this descriptive study was to extend what is known about the perceptions of registered nurses regarding family presence during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This study used Wright and Leahey’s (1999) theory of family systems as an overarching framework and employed a grounded theory approach. The sample consisted of twelve nurses from various units of a mid-western hospital including the emergency department, intensive care unit, and cardiac cath lab. The data were obtained qualitatively using interview questions adapted from the Parkland Health and Hospital System (1997). Data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis. The results of this study provided information about nurses’ perceptions of family presence during resuscitation, which can guide nurses and nursing leaders who set policies and make decisions regarding the practice of family presence at the bedside during resuscitation.School of NursingThesis (M.S.