Attitudes of Iranian Emergency Department Staff Toward Family Presence During Resuscitation

Family presence during resuscitation (FPDR) has become a globally debated practice, offering both potential benefits and challenges. In Iran, however, family members are generally excluded from the resuscitation area. This study aimed to explore the attitudes of Iranian emergency department (ED) staff toward FPDR.

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 124 nurses and 24 physicians in the EDs of four hospitals in Northwest Iran. Participants were selected using a census sampling method. Data were collected through a 27-item questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods.

Over half of the ED nurses and physicians (52.4% nurses and 54.2% physicians) supported FPDR when the patient was the ED nurse's or physician's immediate family member. However, this support significantly declined and shifted toward opposition when the patients were neither ED nurses or physicians themselves nor their immediate family members (78.2% of nurses and 91.7% of physicians). Similarly, opposition remained high when the ED nurses or physicians imagined themselves as the patient undergoing resuscitation (91.1% of nurses and 83.3% of physicians opposed FPDR).

The study findings suggest that attitudes toward FPDR among Iranian ED nurses and physicians are influenced by their connections with the patient. While the majority initially opposed FPDR when treating unrelated patients or considering themselves as patients undergoing resuscitation, their opposition decreased significantly, and their attitudes shifted towards support when considering themselves as immediate family members of patients undergoing resuscitation.