To hold her hand: family presence during patient resuscitation

Family presence at the bedside during resuscitation is an important component of the patient's care. Many families report feeling that their presence at such a time is helpful to both them and the patient. Some studies suggest that family presence may reduce the chance of legal action regarding the patient's outcome because it decreases the mystery surrounding the level of effort undertaken to save the patient's life. However, many facilities are reluctant to allow family presence during resuscitation typically because of the belief that family presence will somehow disrupt the providers' ability to conduct the resuscitation. This article explores the background behind this issue and the studies done to date on family presence and makes suggestions for adopting policies allowing family presence during resuscitation.