Emergency service health care workers’ opinions and experiences on the practice of family-witnessed resuscitation: a cross-sectional study during the COVID-19 pandemic in Türkiye

Abstract

Despite the evidence and recommendations regarding the benefits of family-witnessed resuscitation, the opinions and attitudes of healthcare professionals vary widely. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 154 healthcare professionals working at the emergency departments of four hospitals within the borders of Ankara, Türkiye to examine their opinions and experiences on the practice of family-witnessed resuscitation. Data were collected by using the demographic form and the Family Presence Risk-Benefit Scale. Descriptive statistical analyses, t-test for samples, Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used in the evaluation of the data. Results indicated that majority of emergency department healthcare workers (85.8%) had no previous experience of family witnessed resuscitation, and most of them (96.8%) opposed the practice of resuscitation with family presence. Although nurses tended to favour family witnessed resuscitation more than physicians, most of the participants expressed their concerns about the presence of family during the CPR. It is recommended that institutional policies be developed on family-witnessed resuscitation, and inter-professional education be provided to increase the awareness of families and to change the opinions and attitudes of health care professionals.