Families are the basic unit of our society. One of the most stressful events in a family occurs when a member has a health crisis and comes to the emergency department. Family presence is often the only comfort these families can provide to their loved one who is seriously ill or critically injured.
Families should be allowed to remain with their family members during resuscitation or invasive line placement, with appropriate support mechanisms in place. “Family members are frequently not given the opportunity to remain with the patient during invasive procedures, including resuscitation efforts” (Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), 2004). Many factors influence this decision including healthcare providers’ perception that it will be too stressful on family members. The American Heart Association recommends giving family members the choice to remain with their loved ones during resuscitation efforts (Shelton, 2000). The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics “has been acknowledged by other health care professions as one of the most complete. It is sometimes used as the benchmark against which other codes of ethics are measured” (ANA, 2005). The first part of this code states that nurses must provide services with respect for human dignity. The most undignified act all mankind experience is death. To give dignity to patients during the resuscitation process is to follow the ANA Code of Ethics (ANA, 2005). This is why family presence during resuscitation or invasive line placement is an important policy to have in place.
References:
American Nurses Association. (2005). Code of Ethics.
I once had an experience like that, where someone was that thoughtless. Now you've got a TWICE as big situation on your hands, and Good Luck with putting that fire out.:imbar
I once had an experience like that, where someone was that thoughtless. Now you've got a TWICE as big situation on your hands, and Good Luck with putting that fire out.:imbar
Yes, it does - if someone on the staff does that, whether it is intentional or not, it can lead to a bad situation. You're already coding the family member, you don't want to add anything else to the already critical situation. In our ER, we had the same thing happen. A nurse who thought she was being "businesslike", I am guessing, and a family member, the grandmother of the 6 month old baby that came into the ER in full arrest, also an RN, by the way, had a syncopal episode in the middle of the nursing station and when she hit the ground she got a big head lac. She was altered when she did arouse.
She had been taking care of the baby at home, who had a congenital cardiac defect - the pediatric cardiologist had told the family on their last appointment that the baby was basically terminal. There was nothing else the doc thought may buy the baby any more time. Grandma would not gotten in the way- she would have been ok if the nurse had just let her stand in the corner of the room out of the way. She knew her little one was not going to make it, I just hate the nurse didn't even let her come be with him. She ended up in CT then getting her lac stapled.
The nurse wouldn't even let her be with the baby after he was pronounced. After that nurse left, I found one of our rocking chairs and put it by the bedside and let her say goodbye to the little one in her own way. She was so very upset, but with tears streaming down her face, she hugged me and told me how much it meant to her to at least rock the baby one last time.
Once upon a time I was that patient having the lifesaving invasive procedures in the ER and my brother insisted on staying with me. He kept saying "I won't have her alone for this". They let him stay when the were doing chest tubes and everything on me. Of course, I don't remember it and clearly I am OK now. It is comforting for me to know that a family member was there and it must have been terrible to see what they were doing to me (he is a management consultant after all and a big sissy).
I hope if a member of my family is ever in a similar situation the hospital will let me do the same.
i would like to revisit this thread and ask how to deal with erp's who find family to be a nuisance in the er and refuse to allow them back with their loved one during exams or procedures. i'm a firm believer in family being the patient's best advocate. they sometimes supply a load of information regarding an event or "fill in the blanks" so to speak. not only that but i find it to be cold and extremely uncaring. not to mention terrible pr! are there any reputable articles anyone could suggest to print out as a basis for my argument?
Specializes in Hospice, ONC, Tele, Med Surg, Endo/Output.
Families are the basic unit of our society. One of the most stressful events in a family occurs when a member has a health crisis and comes to the emergency department. Family presence is often the only comfort these families can provide to their loved one who is seriously ill or critically injured.
Families should be allowed to remain with their family members during resuscitation or invasive line placement, with appropriate support mechanisms in place. "Family members are frequently not given the opportunity to remain with the patient during invasive procedures, including resuscitation efforts" (Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), 2004). Many factors influence this decision including healthcare providers' perception that it will be too stressful on family members. The American Heart Association recommends giving family members the choice to remain with their loved ones during resuscitation efforts (Shelton, 2000). The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics "has been acknowledged by other health care professions as one of the most complete. It is sometimes used as the benchmark against which other codes of ethics are measured" (ANA, 2005). The first part of this code states that nurses must provide services with respect for human dignity. The most undignified act all mankind experience is death. To give dignity to patients during the resuscitation process is to follow the ANA Code of Ethics (ANA, 2005). This is why family presence during resuscitation or invasive line placement is an important policy to have in place.
References:
American Nurses Association. (2005). Code of Ethics.
We went thru this years ago and it was a total disaster. When there was actually someone available to be with the fanily and answer questiions it was usually someone that never worked er themselves. We had families trying to pull the dr. Away during intubations and once a family praying down on their knees very loudly for gsw who had killed the owner 1 week ago. Also hiv and other infectious pt.'s really turned into a difficult situation. Not all codes can ne conducted quietly and with dignity those are dnr's
Think of some of the codes we've been in = would you like to remember your family member - most of us yelling to each other about iv's - watch us put our hands in his private regions and start shoving in tubes. Yelling out for something or help because your going down the tubes. The smells and the sites are hard enough for us. I remember th dr. Ans i in a code quickly turning pt to get a glimpse of his back and any damage and it seemed like gallons of blood came spilling out of the pt. All over me. And i cont. To admin 64 units of blood. Great site. How could anyone want to remember some close to them this way. I can't tell you how many have said i don't know how you can do thid - so they won't have to.
Roller
24 Posts
I once had an experience like that, where someone was that thoughtless. Now you've got a TWICE as big situation on your hands, and Good Luck with putting that fire out.:imbar