Family presence during resuscitation (FPDR): Perceived benefits, barriers and enablers to implementation and practice

There are a number of perceived benefits and barriers to family presence during resuscitation (FPDR) in the emergency department, and debate continues among health professionals regarding the practice of family presence.

This review of the literature aims to develop an understanding of the perceived benefits, barriers and enablers to implementing and practicing FPDR in the emergency department.

The perceived benefits include; helping with the grieving process; everything possible was done, facilitates closure and healing and provides guidance and family understanding and allows relatives to recognise efforts. The perceived barriers included; increased stress and anxiety, distracted by relatives, fear of litigation, traumatic experience and family interference. There were four sub themes that emerged from the literature around the enablers of FPDR, these included; the need for a designated support person, the importance of training and education for staff and the development of a formal policy within the emergency department to inform practice.

In order to ensure that practice of FPDR becomes consistent, emergency personnel need to understand the need for advanced FPDR training and education, the importance of a designated support person role and the evidence of FPDR policy as enablers to implementation.