Should Family-witnessed Resuscitation Become Our Standard?

Owner experiences with and perceptions of owner-witnessed CPR in veterinary medicine

OBJECTIVE

To examine owner experiences with and perceptions of owner-witnessed resuscitation (OWR) in veterinary medicine and to determine if previous experience with family-witnessed resuscitation (FWR) influenced perceptions.

DESIGN

Multicenter survey.

SETTING

Two academic and 2 private practice referral hospitals in the United States.

SUBJECTS

Four hundred and seven clients presenting their small animal or exotic pet to the emergency service, or owners of patients hospitalized in the small animal ICU, April 1 to May 15, 2019.

INTERVENTIONS

None MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Anonymous, online survey. Demographic variables, familiarity with CPR, previous experience with FWR or OWR, and open-ended questions and 4-point Likert items assessing level of agreement with statements on OWR were included. Scores equal or greater than 2 represented positive agreement. An overall OWR mean score was calculated from Likert items. Seventy-nine (19.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 15.7%-23.7%) participants reported having been involved with FWR, and 13 (3.2%; 95% CI, 1.8%-5.5%) reported having witnessed CPR on their pet. Owners were significantly more likely to participate in OWR if they had been present for FWR (P = 0.0004). Ninety-two percent of respondents who had been present for OWR would elect to be present again (95% CI, 62.1%-99.6%). Whether present for OWR or not, owners believed there may be benefits from witnessing CPR and had overall positive feelings toward the practice (OWR mean score, 2.87, SD 0.45 and 2.68, SD 0.54, respectively). Most respondents (78.6%; 95% CI, 74.2%-82.4%) felt that owners should be offered the opportunity to witness CPR on their pets.

CONCLUSIONS

Owners expressed overall positive experiences with and attitudes toward OWR and believe the option for presence should be provided. As pet owners become more aware of FWR in human medicine, veterinarians may need to be prepared to entertain the possibility of OWR and owners' wishes to remain with their pet during CPR.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Family-witnessed Resuscitation of Emergency Department Patients

Introduction

Family presence during emergency resuscitations is increasingly common, but the question remains whether the practice results in psychological harm to the witness. We examine whether family members who witness resuscitations have increased post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms at one month following the event.

Methods

We identified family members of critically ill patients via our emergency department (ED) electronic health record. Patients were selected based on their geographic triage to an ED critical care room. Family members were called a median of one month post-event and administered the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), a 22-item validated scale that measures post-traumatic distress symptoms and correlates closely with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Family members were placed into two groups based on whether they stated they had witnessed the resuscitation (FWR group) or not witnessed the resuscitation (FNWR group). Data analyses included chi-square test, independent sample t-test, and linear regression controlling for gender and age.

Results

A convenience sample of 423 family members responded to the phone interview: 250 FWR and 173 FNWR. The FWR group had significantly higher mean total IES-R scores: 30.4 vs 25.6 (95% confidence interval [CI], −8.73 to −0.75; P<.05). Additionally, the FWR group had significantly higher mean score for the subscales of avoidance (10.6 vs 8.1; 95% CI, −4.25 to −0.94; P<.005) and a trend toward higher score for the subscale of intrusion (13.0 vs 11.4; 95% CI, −3.38 to .028; P = .054). No statistical significant difference was noted between the groups in the subscale of hyperarousal (6.95 vs 6.02; 95% CI, −2.08 to 0.22; P=.121). All findings were consistent after controlling for age, gender, and immediate family member (spouse, parent, children, and grandchildren).

Conclusion

Our results suggest that family members who witness ED resuscitations may be at increased risk of PTSD symptoms at one month. This is the first study that examines the effects of family visitation for an unsorted population of very sick patients who would typically be seen in the critical care section of a busy ED.

The witness of the patient’s relatives increases the anxiety of the physician, but decreases the anxiety of the relatives of the patient

Background:

We generally keep relatives out of the area while a critical intervention so they cannot observe the management. Recent studies recommend witnessing of the resuscitation by arguing that it supports the patient’s relatives’ beliefs that everything that could be done had been done.

Objective:

We investigated the influence of family witness on the anxiety of patients’ relatives and on the healthcare team.

Methods:

This study was planned as a prospective observational study. The critical patients who were managed in the resuscitation room with or without intubation were included in the study. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory survey form was given to patients’ relatives. Healthcare providers were given a survey, including a visual analog scale of anxiety.

Results:

The mean visual analog scale score of healthcare providers was 4.37 ± 2.5. The mean visual analog scale score of allied health personnel was similar to resident doctors but lower than consultant doctors. The anxiety of healthcare providers was higher during witnessed management. In the witnessed management group, the anxiety of healthcare providers was higher in patients who received cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The mean State-Trait Anxiety Inventory anxiety score of patients’ relatives was 50.2 ± 10.3. In witnessed management, the mean anxiety score was 49.5 ± 11.3; in non-witnessed management, the score was 51.0 ± 9.3. The anxiety of patients’ relatives was not higher, but rather slightly lower during witnessed management of patients.

Conclusion:

In our study, the anxiety of healthcare providers was higher in family-witnessed management. It was argued that consultant physicians were more anxious because they have more responsibility about the patients. With witnessed management, the anxiety of patients’ relatives could be reduced, but it is more ominous for healthcare professionals.

A literature review examining the barriers to the implementation of family witnessed resuscitation in the Emergency Department

BACKGROUND

Caring for people near death in the Emergency Department (ED) is challenging for professionals, duty bound to respond to the needs of the dying. Family witnessed resuscitation (FWR) is practiced internationally, allowing relatives to be present at the time of a patient's death, offering comfort to the dying and aiding the bereaved along a healthy grief trajectory.

AIM

The literature review elicits barriers to the implementation of FWR in the ED, examining why practice is sporadic despite numerous professional bodies calling for implementation. FWR is often met with opposition from staff, subsequently largely dependent upon who is on duty as opposed to adherence with best practice guidelines, risking inconsistent idiosyncratic practice.

FINDINGS

Barriers include; a lack of organisational support; shortage of manpower for provision of a family support person; absence of champions for the concept; willful non-adherence due to personal beliefs; restriction on coping strategies reliant upon the ability to emotionally detach, enhancing staff resilience facing repeated exposure to emotionally labile events.

CONCLUSION

All resuscitation efforts can be successful, whether the patient lives or dies, if practice supports healthy grieving. The challenge remains with such divided, entrenched and passionate views, how FWR can be adopted as accepted practice.