Family presence during resuscitation in a paediatric hospital: health professionals' confidence and perceptions

Abstract

Aims and objectives: To investigate medical and nursing staff's perceptions of and self-confidence in facilitating family presence during resuscitation in a paediatric hospital setting.

Background: Family presence during resuscitation is the attendance of family members in a location that affords visual or physical contact with the patient during resuscitation. Providing the opportunity for families to be present during resuscitation embraces the family-centred care philosophy which underpins paediatric care. Having families present continues to spark much debate amongst health care professionals.

Design: A descriptive cross-sectional randomised survey using the 'Family Presence Risk/Benefit Scale' and the 'Family Presence Self-Confidence Scale 'to assess health care professionals' (doctors and nurses) perceptions and self-confidence in facilitating family presence during resuscitation of a child in a paediatric hospital.

Methods: Surveys were distributed to 300 randomly selected medical and nursing staff. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to compare medical and nursing, and critical and noncritical care perceptions and self-confidence.

Results: Critical care staff had statistically significant higher risk/benefit scores and higher self-confidence scores than those working in noncritical care areas. Having experience in paediatric resuscitation, having invited families to be present previously and a greater number of years working in paediatrics significantly affected participants' perceptions and self-confidence. There was no difference between medical and nursing mean scores for either scale.

Conclusion: Both medical and nursing staff working in the paediatric setting understood the needs of families and the philosophy of family-centred care is a model of care practised across disciplines.

Relevance to clinical practice: This has implications both for implementing guidelines to support family presence during resuscitation and for education strategies to shift the attitudes of staff who have limited or no experience.

Keywords: doctors; family presence; family-centred care; hospital; nurses; paediatrics; patient-centred; resuscitation.