Preparing Nurses to Support the Family During Resuscitation: An Exploratory-Descriptive Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: The family support person role during resuscitation is complex and requires role preparation; however, there is a lack of guidance on preparing nurses for this crucial role.

Objectives: To examine how critical care nurses prepared for the role of supporting families during resuscitation and their perceptions of the preparation needed to fulfill this role.

Method: An exploratory-descriptive qualitative design guided the study. Individual, semistructured interviews with 16 critical care nurses yielded data for thematic analysis. All participants had been in the family support person role.

Results: Three themes emerged: who should perform the family support person role, why role preparation is important, and how to prepare for the role. The themes captured participants' views about identifying and preparing individuals to support families during resuscitation.

Discussion: Nurses are the ideal health care team member to support families during resuscitation. However, participants felt unprepared for this role, especially for communicating with families. Education and experience are important to prepare nurses to effectively enact the role to ensure positive outcomes for family members.