The presence of family during brain stem death testing

It is established practice in intensive care units (ICU) for relatives to be excluded from brain stem death testing. However, times are changing and this is evident in other areas of health care, where fathers are now present during childbirth and relatives may be given the choice of being present during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In Part One of this serial, it was suggested that with relatives now being present during resuscitation it will only be a matter of time before requests to witness brain stem death testing are made. This article will focus on the barriers that inhibit the presence of family during brain stem death testing. A strategy that aims to facilitate their presence will then be proposed.