Parent presence during invasive procedures and resuscitation: evaluating a clinical practice change

Safety and Feasibility of Long-Distance Aeromedical Transport of Neonates and Children in Fixed-Wing Air Ambulance

In cases of critical injury or illness abroad, fixed-wing air ambulance aircraft is employed to repatriate children to their home country. Air ambulance aircraft also transport children to foreign countries for treatment not locally available and newborns back home that have been born prematurely abroad. In this retrospective observational study, we investigated demographics, feasibility, and safety and outcomes of long-distance and international aeromedical transport of neonates and children. The study included 167 pediatric patients, 56 of those preterm neonates. A total of 41 patients were ventilated, 45 requiring oxygen prior to the transport, 57 transferred from an intensive care unit (ICU), and 48 to an ICU. Patients were transported by using Learjet 31A, Learjet 45, Learjet 55, and Bombardier Challenger 604, with a median transport distance of 1,008 nautical miles (NM), median transport time of 04:45 hours (median flight time = 03:00 hours), flight time ≥8 hours in 15 flights, and transport time ≥8 hours in 29 missions. All transports were accompanied by a pediatric physician/nurse team. An increase in FiO 2 during the transport was documented in 47/167 patients (28%). Therapy escalation (other than increased oxygen) was reported in 18 patients, and technical adverse events in 3 patients. No patient required CPR or died during the transport. Clinical transport outcome was rated by the accompanying physician as unchanged in 163 transports, improved in 4, and deteriorated in none. In summary, international, long-distance transport of neonatal and pediatric patients performed by experienced and well-equipped transport teams is feasible. Neither major adverse events nor physician-rated clinical deteriorations were observed in this group of patients.

The experiences of parents witnessing their child's resuscitation in hospital

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this literature review is to explore parents' experiences of witnessing their child being resuscitated in hospital settings.

METHODS

An integrative literature review using the databases CINAHL, PubMed and PsycInfo to retrieve articles published between 2011 and 2021 on parent-witnessed resuscitation.

RESULTS

This review found strong evidence of the benefit of parents being present during their child's resuscitation, with three common themes emerging: need to be present, communication and seeing to believe. Parents and the healthcare team benefit from being present, and parents feel they have more positive experiences when they are allowed to choose their level of presence.

CONCLUSION

The benefits of parental witnessed resuscitation are shown throughout the review, however, this may not always be adopted in practice. Hospital policies or resuscitation training do not cover parent-witnessed resuscitation, therefore implementation of mandatory hospital policy regarding this issue should be introduced to practice to create continuity of high-quality care.

Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis With and Without Autoimmune Features: A Clinical Comparative Analysis

BACKGROUND

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an interstitial lung disease (ILD) caused by an immunological reaction to repeated inhalational exposure to antigens. The etiology and exact immunopathology are poorly understood. Autoimmunity overlapping with HP has been described but the role of concomitant autoimmunity in the clinical course and outcome of the HP is not clearly established. In this study, we examined patients diagnosed with HP and compare them to patients with concomitant HP and autoimmunity.

METHODS

Patients were retrospectively screened from a single-center ILD registry. Patients > 18 years with an established multidisciplinary diagnosis of HP were included in the study. Patients with HP without autoimmune features and patients with HP with autoimmune features (HPAF) were assessed. We compared the demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes between the two groups. We used a Cox proportional hazards model to compare lung transplant-free survival outcomes of patients with HPAF to those with non-HPAF HP patients.

RESULTS

Of 73 patients with HP, 43 were diagnosed with HPAF. Patients with HPAF had a higher echocardiographic probability of pulmonary hypertension as compared to non-HPAF HP patients [48.8 vs 23.3%, p = 0.028, Crude odds ratio (cOR) = 3.14]. Symptomatically, those with HPAF reported a higher prevalence of arthritis as compared to non-HPAF HP (20.9 vs 3.3%, p = 0.040, cOR = 7.68). No significant differences between pulmonary function tests, oxygen requirements, mortality, and lung transplantation rates were found between the two groups. There was no statistically significant difference in transplant-free survival (p = 0.836).

CONCLUSION

Patients with HPAF had a higher echocardiographic probability of pulmonary hypertension as compared to patients with non-HPAF HP. The clinical characteristics and outcomes did not differ between the two groups and concomitant autoimmunity among the HP group did not portend a poorer prognosis.

Increasing Nurses' Knowledge of and Self-confidence With Family Presence During Pediatric Resuscitation

BACKGROUND

Family presence during resuscitation is becoming more common, and pediatric critical care nurses regularly facilitate this process. However, most hospitals lack policies and education to support nurses in this practice.

OBJECTIVE

To increase pediatric intensive care unit nurses' knowledge and self-confidence with family presence during resuscitation through an educational intervention.

METHODS

The project used a pre-post intervention study design with anonymous online cross-sectional surveying. Participant demographic data were collected along with participants' responses to 2 instruments measuring perceived risks and benefits of family presence during resuscitation and participant self-confidence with the process. The educational session consisted of a 2-hour structured session incorporating content presentation, discussion, simulation videos, and parental testimony.

RESULTS

Thirty-six nurses participated in this project. Overall mean scores of both tools and scores of almost every item within each tool significantly increased after the intervention.

CONCLUSION

Formalized and structured education on family presence during resuscitation appears to promote pediatric intensive care unit nurses' knowledge, increase their perception of benefits outweighing risks, and enhance their self-confidence in supporting family members. Providing information about family presence during resuscitation and how best to facilitate this practice should be a priority and included as part of standard educational support for pediatric intensive care unit nurses.

Pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation in infant and children with chronic diseases: A simple approach?

Infants and children with complex chronic diseases have lifelong, life-threatening conditions and for many, early death is an unavoidable outcome of their disease process. But not all chronic diseases in children are fatal when treated well. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is more common in children with chronic diseases than in healthy children. Resuscitation of infants and children presents significant challenges to physicians and healthcare providers. Primarily, these situations occur only rarely and are therefore not only medically demanding but also associated with emotional stress. In case of resuscitation in infants and children with chronic diseases these challenges become much more complex. The worldwide valid Pediatric Advanced Life Support Guidelines do not give clear recommendations how to deal with periarrest situations in chronically ill infants and children. For relevant life-limiting illnesses, a "do not resuscitate" order should be discussed early, taking into account medical, ethical, and emotional considerations. The decision to terminate resuscitative efforts in cardiopulmonary arrest in infants and children with chronic illnesses such as severe lung disease, heart disease, or even incurable cancer is complex and controversial among physicians and parents. Judging the "outcome" of resuscitation as a "good" outcome becomes complex because for some, life extension itself and for others, quality of life is a goal. Physicians often decide that a healthy child is more likely to have a reversible condition and thereby have a better outcome than a child with multiple comorbidities and chronic health care needs. Major challenges in resuscitation infants and children are that clinicians need to individualize resuscitation strategies in light of each chronic disease, anatomy and physiology. This review aims to highlight terms of resuscitation infants and children with complex chronic diseases, considering resuscitation-related factors, parent-related factors, patient-related factors, and physician-related factors.

What are the care needs of families experiencing cardiac arrest?: A survivor and family led scoping review

AIM

The sudden and unexpected cardiac arrest of a family member can be a grief-filled and life-altering event. Every year many hundreds of thousands of families experience the cardiac arrest of a family member. However, care of the family during the cardiac arrest and afteris poorly understood and incompletely described. This review has been performed with persons with lived experience of cardiac arrest to describe, "What are the needs of families experiencing cardiac arrest?" from the moment of collapse until the outcome is known.

METHODS

This review was guided by specific methodological framework and reporting items (PRISMA-ScR) as well as best practices in patient and public involvement in research and reporting (GRIPP2). A search strategy was developed for eight online databases and a grey literature review. Two reviewers independently assessed all articles for inclusion and extracted relevant study information.

RESULTS

We included 47 articles examining the experience and care needs of families experiencing cardiac arrest of a family member. Forty one articles were analysed as six represented duplicate data. Ten family care need themes were identified across five domains. The domains and themes transcended cardiac arrest setting, aetiology, family-member age and family composition. The five domains were i) focus on the family member in cardiac arrest, ii) collaboration of the resuscitation team and family, iii) consideration of family context, iv) family post-resuscitation needs, and v) dedicated policies and procedures. We propose a conceptual model of family centred cardiac arrest.

CONCLUSION

Our review provides a comprehensive mapping and description of the experience of families and their care needs during the cardiac arrest of a family-member. Furthermore, our review was conducted with co-investigators and collaborators with lived experience of cardiac arrest (survivors and family members of survivors and non-survivors alike). The conceptual framework of family centred cardiac arrest care presented may aid resuscitation scientists and providers in adopting greater family centeredness to their work.

Reviewing recordings of neonatal resuscitation with parents

BACKGROUND

Recording of neonatal resuscitation, including video and respiratory parameters, was implemented for research and quality purposes at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Leiden University Medical Center, and parents were offered to review the recording of their infant together with a neonatal care provider. We aimed to provide insight in parental experiences with reviewing the recording of the neonatal resuscitation of their premature infant.

METHODS

This study combined participant observations during parental review of recordings with retrospective qualitative interviews with parents.

RESULTS

Parental review of recordings of neonatal resuscitation was observed on 20 occasions, reviewing recordings of 31 children (12 singletons, 8 twins and 1 triplet), of whom 4 died during admission. Median (range) gestational age at birth was 27+5 (24+5-30+3) weeks. Subsequently, 25 parents (13 mothers and 12 fathers) were interviewed.Parents reported many positive experiences, with special emphasis on the value for getting hold of the start of their infant's life and coping with the trauma of neonatal resuscitation. Reviewing recordings of neonatal resuscitation frequently resulted in appreciation for the child, the father and the medical team. Timing and set-up of the review contributed to positive experiences. Parents considered screenshots/copies of the recording of the resuscitation of their infant as valuable keepsakes of their NICU story and reported that having the screenshots/video comforted them, especially when their child died during admission.

CONCLUSION

Parents consider reviewing recordings of neonatal resuscitation as valuable. These positive parental experiences could allay concerns about sharing recordings of neonatal resuscitation with parents.

Associations between family presence and neonatal intubation outcomes: a report from the National Emergency Airway Registry for Neonates: NEAR4NEOS

OBJECTIVE

Describe the current practice of family presence during neonatal tracheal intubations (TIs) across neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and examine the association with outcomes.

DESIGN

Retrospective analysis of TIs performed in NICUs participating in the National Emergency Airway Registry for Neonates (NEAR4NEOS).

SETTING

Thirteen academic NICUs.

PATIENTS

Infants undergoing TI between October 2014 and December 2017.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Association of family presence with TI processes and outcomes including first attempt success (primary outcome), success within two attempts, adverse TI-associated events (TIAEs) and severe oxygen desaturation ≥20% from baseline.

RESULTS

Of the 2570 TIs, 242 (9.4%) had family presence, which varied by site (median 3.6%, range 0%-33%; p<0.01). Family member was more often present for older infants and those with chronic respiratory failure. Fewer TIs were performed by residents when family was present (FP 10% vs no FP 18%, p=0.041). Among TIs with family presence versus without family presence, the first attempt success rate was 55% vs 49% (p=0.062), success within two attempts was 74% vs 66% (p=0.014), adverse TIAEs were 18% vs 20% (p=0.62) and severe oxygen desaturation was 49% vs 52%, (p=0.40). In multivariate analyses, there was no independent association between family presence and intubation success, adverse TIAEs or severe oxygen desaturation.

CONCLUSION

Family are present in less than 10% of TIs, with variation across NICUs. Even after controlling for important patient, provider and site factors, there were no significant associations between family presence and intubation success, adverse TIAEs or severe oxygen desaturation.

Family presence during resuscitation in paediatric and neonatal cardiac arrest: A systematic review

CONTEXT

Parent/family presence at pediatric resuscitations has been slow to become consistent practice in hospital settings and has not been universally implemented. A systematic review of the literature on family presence during pediatric and neonatal resuscitation has not been previously conducted.

OBJECTIVE

To conduct a systematic review of the published evidence related to family presence during pediatric and neonatal resuscitation.

DATA SOURCES

Six major bibliographic databases was undertaken with defined search terms and including literature up to June 14, 2020.

STUDY SELECTION

3200 titles were retrieved in the initial search; 36 ultimately included for review.

DATA EXTRACTION

Data was double extracted independently by two reviewers and confirmed with the review team. All eligible studies were either survey or interview-based and as such we turned to narrative systematic review methodology.

RESULTS

The authors identified two key sets of findings: first, parents/family members want to be offered the option to be present for their child's resuscitation. Secondly, health care provider attitudes varied widely (ranging from 15% to >85%), however, support for family presence increased with previous experience and level of seniority.

LIMITATIONS

English language only; lack of randomized control trials; quality of the publications.

CONCLUSIONS

Parents wish to be offered the opportunity to be present but opinions and perspectives on the family presence vary greatly among health care providers. This topic urgently needs high quality, comparative research to measure the actual impact of family presence on patient, family and staff outcomes.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42020140363.

Original Research: Family Presence During Resuscitation: Medical-Surgical Nurses' Perceptions, Self-Confidence, and Use of Invitations

BACKGROUND

Family presence during resuscitation (FPDR) upholds family-centered care principles and can result in better family member outcomes; yet it isn't routinely implemented by nurses. Prior studies have examined predictors of support for FPDR among nurses caring for high acuity patients, but limited research involves medical-surgical nurses. This is problematic because resuscitation occurs in all inpatient settings.

PURPOSE

This study sought to examine the personal, professional, and workplace factors associated with medical-surgical nurses' perceptions, self-confidence, and use of invitations regarding FPDR. It also aimed to explore potential barriers to FPDR and nurses' educational preferences, in order to inform the design of interventions that might improve FPDR implementation in this practice setting.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey design was used to examine which factors are predictors of medical-surgical nurses' FPDR perceptions, self-confidence, and use of invitations. Data on nurses' perceptions of barriers and educational preferences were collected via survey as well.

RESULTS

The sample of 51 medical-surgical nurses reported overall neutral perceptions of FPDR. Yet 63% had never invited family members to experience resuscitation. The most significant predictor of more favorable perceptions, higher self-confidence, and greater use of invitations was having prior experience with FPDR. Analysis of perceived barriers indicates that these can be addressed through providing nurses with supportive FPDR policies and education. But only 14% of participants reported that their facility or unit had a written FPDR policy and just 16% had ever received any FPDR education.

CONCLUSIONS

FPDR is not commonly practiced on medical-surgical units. Providing medical-surgical nurses with experience, policies, and education is recommended to improve FPDR implementation rates in this practice setting.

A Scoping Review of the Impact of Family Presence on Pediatric Resuscitation Team Members

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this scoping review was to identify the extent, range, and nature of information currently available on family presence during pediatric resuscitation on resuscitation team members and their performance.

DATA SOURCES

A comprehensive search strategy was created and executed by identifying primary keywords in central articles, pretesting key words and combinations of them in databases to confirm articles returned fell within the search parameters, and checking that key articles were returned which confirmed the search strategy was not too narrow.

STUDY SELECTION

Two members of the research team independently conducted relevance screening using predetermined inclusion and exclusion parameters. Titles and abstracts of retrieved articles were reviewed using the set criteria involving. From the refined list of selected articles, full texts of each article were considered for final determination of inclusion.

DATA EXTRACTION

Key items of information were gathered from each article selected using a predefined extraction list. The extracted information was then sorted into themes and relevant issues.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Of the 3,012 studies initially identified, 48 met the inclusion criteria. Themes identified included as follows: 1) attitudes and opinions on family presence during pediatric resuscitation; 2) reasons in support of or against family presence during pediatric resuscitation; 3) education, training, and support; and 4) resuscitation performance and outcomes. Our review of the available information highlighted that the majority of work done to this point has focused heavily on healthcare provider opinions and relied mainly on survey method.

CONCLUSIONS

We propose that future research employ more rigorous research techniques, such as randomized control trials, place greater emphasis on healthcare provider behaviors and clinical outcomes during family presence during pediatric resuscitation, and increase exploration into the education and training needs of healthcare providers who already currently manage family presence during pediatric resuscitation.

Family presence during paediatric resuscitation and invasive procedures: the parental experience: An integrative review: An integrative review

BACKGROUND

The evolvement of family-centred care has been an ongoing process since the Platt Report 1959. Family-centred care has become the modern working model in paediatrics and obstetrics. Parental participation is central to family-centred care. Whether it is applied consistently remains to be concluded.

AIM

The aim of the study was to describe the family experiences of being present during paediatric resuscitation and invasive procedures.

METHOD

The design used in this study is an integrative review by Whittemore & Knafl. Databases PubMed and CINAHL were searched for primary research concerning the parental experiences of participating in paediatric resuscitation and invasive procedures. Eighteen studies were included in the study. A quality assessment tool was applied.

FINDINGS

A pro-parental presence was the results of 17 of the 18 included studies. Six common themes were found: 'Being there', 'Calming child', 'Calming parent', 'Having the right', 'Do it again' and 'Seeing is believing'.

CONCLUSION

Including family in resuscitation and invasive procedures requires openness as a working model and demands organisational changes and the updating of guidelines. The inseparability of parent-child is attachment theory practised, an innate quality of being a child as well as a parent. Recommendations are to have a facilitator present during resuscitation and invasive procedures to alleviate stress on everyone's part, enabling family participation.

Location of Clinician-Family Communication at the End of Life in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Clinician Perception of Communication Quality

Background: Communication between clinicians and families of dying children in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is critically important for optimal care of the child and the family. Objective: We examined the current state of clinician perspective on communication with families of dying children in the PICU. Design: Prospective case series over a 15-month study period. Setting/Subjects: We surveyed nurses, psychosocial staff, and physicians who cared for dying children in PICUs at five U.S. academic hospitals. Measurements: Clinicians reported on the location of communication, perceived barriers to end-of-life care, and rated the quality of communication (QOC). Results: We collected 565 surveys from 287 clinicians who cared for 169 dying children. Clinicians reported that the majority of communication occurred at the bedside, and less commonly family conferences and rounds. Ten barriers to care were examined and were reported with frequencies of 2%-32%. QOC was rated higher when the majority of conversations occurred during family conferences (p = 0.01) and lower for patients of non-white race (p = 0.03). QOC decreased when 8 of the 10 barriers to care were reported. Conclusions: When a child is dying, clinicians report that communication with the family occurs most frequently at the child's bedside. This has important implications for future ICU communication research as the majority of previous research and education has focused on family care conferences. In addition, findings that QOC is perceived as lower for non-white patients and when clinicians perceive that barriers hindering care are present can help direct future efforts to improve communication in the PICU.

Nonpharmacologic Management of Pain During Common Needle Puncture Procedures in Infants: Current Research Evidence and Practical Considerations: An Update

Infants undergo painful procedures involving skin puncture as part of routine medical care. Pain from needle puncture procedures is suboptimally managed. Numerous nonpharmacologic interventions are available that may be used for these painful procedures, including swaddling/containment, pacifier/non-nutritive sucking, rocking/holding, breastfeeding and breastmilk, skin-to-skin care, sweet tasting solutions, music therapy, sensorial saturation, and parental presence. Adoption these interventions into routine clinical practice is feasible and should be a standard of care in quality health care for infants. This review summarizes the epidemiology of pain from common needle puncture procedures in infants, the effectiveness of nonpharmacologic interventions, implementation considerations, and unanswered questions.

Elaboración y validación del contenido y apariencia de la cartilla “punción venosa periférica para la familia”

Introducción: Durante la hospitalización del niño, en algunas situaciones clínicas, se necesita utilizar la Terapia Intravenosa por vía periférica, a través de la instalación de dispositivos intravenosos. Este procedimiento puede causar sentimientos negativos en la crianza, los cuales se pueden amenizar a través del uso de tecnologías didácticas e Instruccionales. De esta forma, el objetivo del estudio consiste en elaborar y validar el contenido y la apariencia de la cartilla titulada “Punción venosa periférica para la familia” con jurados especialistas en el área pediátrica. Materiales y Métodos: Se trata de una investigación metodológica del tipo elaboración y validación de cartilla educativa, realizada con siete jurados a través de la técnica Delphi. Para recolectar los datos se utilizó un instrumento estructurado que contenía variables categorizadas de la siguiente forma: contenido, lenguaje, ilustración, layout, motivación, cultura y aplicabilidad. Se adoptó como valor deseable el Índice de Validación de Contenido igual o superior a 0,80 para cada criterio evaluado. Resultados: En el estudio participaron siete jurados especialistas, todos del sexo femenino, enfermeras, de las cuales cinco son magister, una doctora y una especialista, que se desempeñaban en el campo de la educación, asistencia, investigación y extensión en el área pediátrica. La cartilla fue validada en la primera ronda de evaluación, obteniendo un Índice Global de Validación de Contenido de 0,98. Discusión y Conclusiones: Los jueces consideraron válida la cartilla propuesta en términos de contenido y apariencia, sugiriendo que este recurso educativo tiene potencial para ayudar en la educación en salud sobre la Cateterización Intravenosa Periférica impartida en niños. Cómo citar este artículo: Silva C, Lisboa S, Santos L, Carvalho S, Passos S, Santos S. Elaboração e validação de conteúdo e aparência da cartilha “Punção venosa periférica para a família”. Rev Cuid. 2019; 10(3): e830. http://dx.doi.org/10.15649/cuidarte.v10i3.830

Parents' Experience During a Child's Resuscitation: Getting Through It

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the experiences of parents during their child's resuscitation in the hospital setting.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This qualitative descriptive study took place in a 280 bed children's hospital with parents whose children experienced resuscitation while they were present in the room or nearby. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between one and twelve months following a child's resuscitation. A rigorous thematic analysis was performed.

RESULTS

This study elucidates parent experience during a child's resuscitation using four overarching themes; "Overwhelming chaos", "Getting through it", "Cognitive presence" and "Joy mixed with heartache". Parents described their experience to be stressful, yet identified things that helped them get through it and make sense of the experience.

CONCLUSIONS

During a child's resuscitation parents perceived a sense of overwhelming chaos, yet still had an innate need to be present and know what was going on. While emotional support was appreciated, most important was to receive real time clinical information from healthcare staff and to see and feel that the team was personally invested in their child.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

During a child's resuscitation, parents should be allowed to choose their level of presence to meet their individual needs. A clinical staff member should answer questions and share clinical information with parents. In addition, clinicians should allow themselves to connect with parents on a personal level. This research provides a foundation for further study, including parents' experience after experiencing a child's resuscitation.

Family presence during resuscitation: A narrative review of the practices and views of critical care nurses

BACKGROUND

The option of family presence during resuscitation was first presented in the late 1980s. Discussion and debate about the pros and cons of this practice has led to an abundant body of international research.

AIM

To determine critical care nurses' experiences of, and support for family presence during adult and paediatric resuscitation and their views on the positive and negative effects of this practice.

METHODS

A narrative literature review of primary research published 2005 onwards. The search strategy comprised an electronic search of three bibliographic databases, supplemented by exploration of a web-based search engine and hand-searching.

RESULTS

Twelve studies formed the review. Research primarily originated from Europe. The findings were obtained from a moderately small number of nurses, and their views were mostly based on conjecture. Among the factors influencing family presence during resuscitation were dominant concerns about harmful effects. There was a noticeable absence of compliance with recommended guidelines for practice, and the provision of a unit protocol or policy to assist decision-making.

CONCLUSION

A commitment to family-centred care, educational intervention and the uptake of professional guidance are recommended evidence-informed strategies to enhance nurses' support for this practice in critical care.

Parents’ Experience When Present During a Child’s Resuscitation: An Integrative Review

Understanding perceptions of parents is necessary to meet parents’ needs during a child’s resuscitation. Parent presence at pediatric resuscitations has been slow to become consistent practice in all hospital settings and remains controversial. The purpose of this integrative review was to synthesize research on parents’ experience while present during a child’s resuscitation to improve understanding for health care providers and to facilitate application in practice. Nine studies met inclusion criteria, identifying four major themes. Parents experienced conflicting emotions, articulated a need for communication and support, reported that being physically present was comforting, and described their reactions to the experience. The available research on parents’ experience during presence at their child’s resuscitation offers a foundation for further detailed study. Further study is needed about parents’ perspective of support needed while present during a child’s resuscitation, as well as about any long-term effects of presence on parent stress and coping.

Family Presence During Resuscitation: The Education Needs of Critical Care Nurses

BACKGROUND

Education on family presence during resuscitation (FPDR) has been shown to improve critical care nurses' support for FPDR; however, there have been limited studies in this area. Exploring nurses' perceived needs related to FPDR education is important to design educational interventions to promote FPDR in practice.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to explore the FPDR education needs of critical care nurses to provide recommendations for future educational interventions.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey design was used, and descriptive and qualitative data were collected online in 2016. A convenience sample of 395 critical care nurses was obtained. Participants completed online surveys, and descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were conducted.

RESULTS

One-third of the participants had received FPDR education, and 83% desired to receive education on FPDR. Qualitative data revealed 4 themes: "nurses need education," "team training is important," "focus on implementation of FPDR," and "a variety of preferences."

DISCUSSION

Critical care nurses' reported needs for FPDR education are currently not being met. It is important for nurse educators and researchers to design and test educational interventions to meet nurses' needs for guidance on implementing FPDR in clinical practice. In particular, online and simulation approaches should be investigated.

Factors Affecting Family Presence During Fracture Reduction in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Introduction

Asking family members to leave during invasive procedures has historically been common practice; however, evidence-based recommendations have altered the trend of family presence during pediatric procedures. The aim of this study was to determine factors related to family members’ choice to be present or absent during fracture reductions in a pediatric emergency department (ED), and their satisfaction with that choice.

Methods

We administered role-specific, anonymous surveys to a convenience sample of patients’ family members in the ED of a Level I pediatric trauma center. All family members were given a choice of where to be during the procedure.

Results

Twenty-five family members of 18 patients completed surveys. Seventeen family members chose to stay in the room. Family member satisfaction with their decision to be inside or outside the room during the procedure (median = very satisfied) was almost uniformly high and not associated with any of the following variables: previous presence during a medical procedure; provider-reported procedure difficulty, or anxiety levels. Family member perception of procedure success (median = extremely well) was also high and not associated with other variables. Location during the procedure was associated with a desire to be in the same location in the future (Fisher’s exact test, p=0.001). Common themes found among family members’ reasons for their location decisions and satisfaction levels were a desire to support the patient, high staff competence, and their right as parents to choose their location.

Conclusion

Family members self-select their location during their child’s fracture reduction to high levels of satisfaction, and they considered the ability to choose their location as important.

When a Child Dies in the PICU Despite Ongoing Life Support

OBJECTIVES

To examine the circumstance of death in the PICU in the setting of ongoing curative or life-prolonging goals.

DATA SOURCES

Multidisciplinary author group, international expert opinion, and use of current literature.

DATA SYNTHESIS

We describe three common clinical scenarios when curative or life-prolonging goals of care are pursued despite a high likelihood of death. We explore the challenges to providing high-quality end-of-life care in this setting. We describe possible perspectives of families and ICU clinicians facing these circumstances to aid in our understanding of these complex deaths. Finally, we offer suggestions of how PICU clinicians might improve the care of children at the end of life in this setting.

CONCLUSIONS

Merging curative interventions and optimal end-of-life care is possible, important, and can be enabled when clinicians use creativity, explore possibilities, remain open minded, and maintain flexibility in the provision of critical care medicine. When faced with real and perceived barriers in providing optimal end-of-life care, particularly when curative goals of care are prioritized despite a very poor prognosis, tensions and conflict may arise. Through an intentional exploration of self and others' perspectives, values, and goals, and working toward finding commonality in order to align with each other, conflict in end-of-life care may lessen, allowing the central focus to remain on providing optimal support for the dying child and their family.

Factors associated with nurses' perceptions, self-confidence, and invitations of family presence during resuscitation in the intensive care unit: A cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND

Family presence during resuscitation is not widely implemented in clinical practice. Prior research about nurse factors that may influence their decision to invite family members to remain in the room during resuscitation is contradictory and inconclusive.

OBJECTIVES

To describe intensive care unit nurses' perceptions, self-confidence, and invitations of family presence during resuscitation, and to evaluate differences according to nurse factors.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional survey design was used for descriptive and correlational analyses.

SETTING

Data collection occurred online.

PARTICIPANTS

A convenience sample of 395 nurses working in intensive care units across the United States was obtained.

METHODS

Participants completed a survey to collect personal, professional, and workplace information. The Family Presence Risk-Benefit Scale and Family Presence Self-confidence Scale were administered, and frequency of inviting family members to be in the room during resuscitation was collected by self-report. Following descriptive analysis of univariate distributions, a series of hierarchical OLS regression analyses was used to identify which personal, professional, or workplace factors yielded the largest unique impact on nurse perceptions, self-confidence, and invitations of family presence during resuscitation.

RESULTS

Despite high frequency of performing resuscitative care, one-third of participants had never invited family members to be in the room during resuscitation during their careers, and another 33% had invited family members to be present just 1-5 times. Having had clinical experience with family presence during resuscitation was the strongest predictor of positive perceptions, higher self-confidence, and increased invitations. In addition, having received education on family presence during resuscitation and a written facility policy were found to be key professional and workplace predictors of perceptions and invitations.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses who work in a facility with a policy on family presence during resuscitation, are educated on it, and have experienced it in the clinical setting are more likely to have positive perceptions and higher self-confidence, and to invite family members to be in the room during resuscitation with increased frequency. Nurses in leadership roles should create policies for their units and provide education to nurses and other healthcare providers. Due to the apparent importance of clinical experience with family presence during resuscitation, it is recommended to initially provide this experience using simulation and role modeling.

The Importance of Parental Connectedness and Relationships With Healthcare Professionals in End-of-Life Care in the PICU

OBJECTIVES

Support from healthcare professionals in a PICU is highly valuable for parents of dying children. The way they care for the patients and their families affects the parents' initial mourning process. This study explores what interaction with hospital staff is meaningful to parents in existential distress when their child is dying in the PICU.

DESIGN

Qualitative interview study.

SETTING

Level 3 PICU in the Erasmus University Medical Center-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, and the Netherlands.

SUBJECTS

Thirty-six parents of 20 children who had died in this unit 5 years previously.

INTERVENTIONS

Parents participated in audio-recorded interviews in their own homes. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative methods.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Parents' narratives of their child's end-of-life stage in the PICU bespeak experiences of estrangement, emotional distancing, and loneliness. Significant moments shared with hospital staff that remained valuable even after 5 years primarily involved personal connectedness, reflected in frequent informational updates, personal commitment of professionals, and interpersonal contact with doctors and nurses.

CONCLUSIONS

Parents whose children died in the PICU value personal connectedness to doctors and nurses when coping with existential distress. Medical and nursing training programs should raise awareness of parents' need for contact in all interactions but especially in times of crisis and apprehension.

Parent Advocacy Group for Events of Resuscitation

BACKGROUND

The presence of patients' families during resuscitation has been an important practice issue. An American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) practice alert "Family Presence During Resuscitation and Invasive Procedures" supports family members of patients undergoing resuscitation being given the option of bedside presence. Parent Advocacy Group for Events of Resuscitation (PAGER) is an interdisciplinary collaborative in the pediatric intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVES

To ensure that patients' families are provided the option of being with their child during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

METHODS

Resuscitation data were collected for 12 months by using the AACN practice alert audit tool. The Family Nurse Caring Belief Scale was administered to 150 pediatric intensive care unit nurses. PAGER nurses received crisis education.

RESULTS

Pediatric intensive care unit nurses were supportive of providing the option of family presence during resuscitation. Family Nurse Caring Belief Scale data revealed areas for improvement in family caring practices. PAGER was implemented with positive outcomes for 2 families.

CONCLUSIONS

PAGER has improved the care of families whose children experience cardiopulmonary resuscitation and should be implemented in pediatric critical care units. PAGER nurses are prepared to serve as role models in providing family-sensitive care during crisis.

Psychosocial Care Models for Families of Critically Ill Children in Pediatric Emergency Department Settings: A Scoping Review

PROBLEM

Critical illness in children is a significant and stressful life event for families. Within pediatric emergency department (ED) settings it is acknowledged that these crises are challenging for both the families of these children, and for the clinical staff treating the child. Literature recommends routine care should include an offer to the family to be present with their critically ill child, however there is a lack of clarity regarding specific family care models or evidence-based interventions to guide clinical practice.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Peer reviewed articles written in English, published between 2006 and 2016, proposing or testing psychosocial care models in pediatric (or mixed) emergency settings.

SAMPLE

Nine articles met inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

Search results showed limited evidence available in the literature at this time. Thematic analysis of article content and proposed model showed strong support for the benefit of family presence, including shifting the family role from passive to active, needing to be inclusive of the psychological impact of critical health events, importance of multidisciplinary education, and the need for additional exploratory and empirical research to evaluate and refine proposed care models.

CONCLUSIONS

Pediatric emergency health events are challenging for both families and staff, and care models provide staff with a consistent, evidence-informed approach to caring for families in challenging situations.

IMPLICATIONS

There is a need to find common ground from specific discipline guidelines into a multidisciplinary team approach for the care of families within emergency care.

Parent and staff perceptions of parental needs during a child's hospital admission to a paediatric high-dependency unit: A New Zealand study

AIM

This study aimed to identify parents' and staff's perceptions of parents' needs during a paediatric high-dependency unit admission and the relationships between needs, socio-demographic and clinical variables and explores if these perceptions have changed.

METHODS

This study uses a cross-sectional descriptive correlational design, and 104 parents whose children received care and 88 staff who worked within a paediatric high-dependency unit at a tertiary hospital in New Zealand completed the Needs of Parents' Questionnaire in 2011.

RESULTS

Parents' and staff's perceptions of the importance of needs were congruent, but differences arose between parents and staff on whether these needs were met. Parents were more likely to rate needs as having been met than staff members. Admission type, age and gender influenced parents' and staff's perceptions of parents' needs.

CONCLUSION

Synergy between parent and staff satisfaction scores will be enhanced when care delivery is more closely aligned to parents' priorities for care and staff receive feedback on positive health-care experiences.

Family presence during resuscitation in a paediatric hospital: health professionals' confidence and perceptions

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To investigate medical and nursing staff's perceptions of and self-confidence in facilitating family presence during resuscitation in a paediatric hospital setting.

BACKGROUND

Family presence during resuscitation is the attendance of family members in a location that affords visual or physical contact with the patient during resuscitation. Providing the opportunity for families to be present during resuscitation embraces the family-centred care philosophy which underpins paediatric care. Having families present continues to spark much debate amongst health care professionals.

DESIGN

A descriptive cross-sectional randomised survey using the 'Family Presence Risk/Benefit Scale' and the 'Family Presence Self-Confidence Scale 'to assess health care professionals' (doctors and nurses) perceptions and self-confidence in facilitating family presence during resuscitation of a child in a paediatric hospital.

METHODS

Surveys were distributed to 300 randomly selected medical and nursing staff. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to compare medical and nursing, and critical and noncritical care perceptions and self-confidence.

RESULTS

Critical care staff had statistically significant higher risk/benefit scores and higher self-confidence scores than those working in noncritical care areas. Having experience in paediatric resuscitation, having invited families to be present previously and a greater number of years working in paediatrics significantly affected participants' perceptions and self-confidence. There was no difference between medical and nursing mean scores for either scale.

CONCLUSION

Both medical and nursing staff working in the paediatric setting understood the needs of families and the philosophy of family-centred care is a model of care practised across disciplines.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

This has implications both for implementing guidelines to support family presence during resuscitation and for education strategies to shift the attitudes of staff who have limited or no experience.

Providing immediate neonatal care and resuscitation at birth beside the mother: parents' views, a qualitative study

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were to assess parents' views of immediate neonatal care and resuscitation at birth being provided beside the mother, and their experiences of a mobile trolley designed to facilitate this bedside care.

DESIGN

Qualitative study with semistructured interviews. Results were analysed using thematic analysis.

SETTING

Large UK maternity hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

Mothers whose baby received initial neonatal care in the first few minutes of life at the bedside, and their birth partners, were eligible. 30 participants were interviewed (19 mothers, 10 partners and 1 grandmother). 5 babies required advanced neonatal resuscitation.

RESULTS

5 themes were identified: (1) Reassurance, which included 'Baby is OK', 'Having baby close', 'Confidence in care', 'Knowing what's going on' and 'Dad as informant'; (2) Involvement of the family, which included 'Opportunity for contact', 'Family involvement' and 'Normality'; (3) Staff communication, which included 'Communication' and 'Experience'; (4) Reservations, which included 'Reservations about witnessing resuscitation', 'Negative emotions' and 'Worries about the impact on staff' and (5) Experiences of the trolley, which included 'Practical issues' and 'Comparisons with standard resuscitation equipment'.

CONCLUSIONS

Families were positive about neonatal care being provided at the bedside, and felt it gave reassurance about their baby's health and care. They also reported feeling involved as a family. Some parents reported experiencing negative emotions as a result of witnessing resuscitation of their baby. Parents were positive about the trolley.

Pediatric Critical Care Nursing Research Priorities-Initiating International Dialogue

OBJECTIVE

To identify and prioritize research questions of concern to the practice of pediatric critical care nursing practice.

DESIGN

One-day consensus conference. By using a conceptual framework by Benner et al describing domains of practice in critical care nursing, nine international nurse researchers presented state-of-the-art lectures. Each identified knowledge gaps in their assigned practice domain and then poised three research questions to fill that gap. Then, meeting participants prioritized the proposed research questions using an interactive multivoting process.

SETTING

Seventh World Congress on Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care in Istanbul, Turkey.

PARTICIPANTS

Pediatric critical care nurses and nurse scientists attending the open consensus meeting.

INTERVENTIONS

Systematic review, gap analysis, and interactive multivoting.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The participants prioritized 27 nursing research questions in nine content domains. The top four research questions were 1) identifying nursing interventions that directly impact the child and family's experience during the withdrawal of life support, 2) evaluating the long-term psychosocial impact of a child's critical illness on family outcomes, 3) articulating core nursing competencies that prevent unstable situations from deteriorating into crises, and 4) describing the level of nursing education and experience in pediatric critical care that has a protective effect on the mortality and morbidity of critically ill children.

CONCLUSIONS

The consensus meeting was effective in organizing pediatric critical care nursing knowledge, identifying knowledge gaps and in prioritizing nursing research initiatives that could be used to advance nursing science across world regions.