Should relatives be denied access to the resuscitation room?

Within a health care system that promotes choice and autonomy, it no longer seems appropriate to exclude relatives from the resuscitation room. There is a growing body of research that suggests there are indeed many long-term benefits to be gained from witnessing the resuscitation of a loved one. There seems no doubt that relatives would like the opportunity to spend the last few valuable minutes with their loved one to say goodbye. However, it is the views of many staff working in the critical care setting that appear to be preventing witnessed resuscitation from becoming normal practice. This paper considers the staffs', the relatives' and the patients' perspectives on witnessed resuscitation and concludes that the majority of relatives should not be denied access to the resuscitation room.