Family opinions on resuscitation and participation in end-of-life care in the emergency department: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The study looked into emergency department family members' (FMs) views on being present during resuscitation and contributing to end-of-life care. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with 467 FM volunteers of mildly injured or ill patients was conducted at a research hospital between October 2021 and May 2022. Data were collected using a questionnaire administered by a clinical psychologist. The analysis employed SPSS 22.0 with a significance threshold of P < 0.05. The study was conducted according to the STROBE criteria. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean FMs' age was 34.3 ± 10.43; 64.2% were male, 62.1% were married, and 76.9% had nuclear families. About 61% wanted the option of being present during resuscitation, with 47.5% desiring participation in both resuscitation and end-of-life care. Significant differences were observed in opinions based on education, work status, and resuscitation training (P = 0.015, P = 0.001, P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Many FMs sought the choice to be present during resuscitation, and nearly half preferred participation in both resuscitation and end-of-life care.

Keywords

• end-of-life
• emergency nursing
• family presence during resuscitation
• family-centered care
• nursing