Family Presence and the Press Effects on Prehospital Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: Attitudes of a Group of Emergency Caregivers

Abstract

There have been many studies regarding family presence during cardiopulmonary resuscitation and most of them are about emergency services or intensive care units. However, the issue has not been studied enough in terms of prehospital emergency medicine and the perspective of prehospital emergency caregivers. In this study, it is aimed to present the attitudes of a group of prehospital emergency care professionals to family presence and the press effects during prehospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The data for this descriptive research was collected from the participants of 63 prehospital caregivers in Afyonkarahisar. The data was collected using a questionnaire designed by the authors and the responses summarized by using frequencies and percentages. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample and each of the survey items. The local ethics committee approval was obtained. Most participants were strongly opposed to family presence and the press during CPR. The highest mean in the phrases that “I don’t want any press member to be there when I perform CPR on a patient.” There is no significant difference in family presence during CPR between the role and year of the experience. Prehospital emergency caregivers mostly have negative attitude towards family presence and the press during CPR. They mostly think the presence of significant others and being watched adversely affects their CPR performance. Disturbing effect on caregivers is not only related to the presence of family members or to other significant others but also the press. Family presence and the press effect on prehospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation are crucial issues that need more attention.

A Study on the Ethical Aspects of Witnessed Resuscitation from the Perspective of Prehospital Emergency Caregivers

“…Although it is a common situation in prehospital emergency medicine practice, there are not enough studies on it. 10 In this study, 84.5% of the participants stated that they performed witness resuscitation in the pre-hospital setting. This supports the view that witnessed resuscitation in the prehospital setting is a common practice among prehospital emergency medicine professionals and is an ethical issue that should be studied.…”

“…16 In other study conducted by Erbay H. , it was found that witnessed resuscitation performed in the prehospital area negatively affects the performance of the healthcare team and causes anxiety. 10 In contrary, Abuzeyad FH. et al found that witnessed resuscitation did not have a negative impact on health care workers.…”

“…4,23 Ethical and legal problems may also vary by culture and country. 10 In the study by Anderson N et al, the decision not to withholding or terminate resuscitation was found to pose a medico-legal risk to prehospital emergency caregivers. 24 In contrast, the study by Garcia-Martinez A and Meseguer-Liza C showed that witnessing resuscitation by family members did not pose a stress or medicolegal risk to medical personnel.…”