Family Presence during Procedures

Paper Summary:

This paper contends that one of the central problem areas in nursing is dealing with family presence in medical and procedural situations. This area is particularly problematic when the procedures involve critical and terminal health care issues. Various perspectives and studies state that the presence of family members at procedures can be both advantageous and disadvantageous in terms of medical and health care. The situation may also be compounded by ethical and moral considerations in the case of critical, terminal health care situations, such as resuscitation, where the family may feel that they have a moral right to be present during any procedures. This paper provides a critical overview of the development of these different views through a synthesis of the wide range of literature on the subject. The paper provides a clear exposition of the problematics of the issue of family presence, as well as an overview of the possible solutions to this often controversial issue.

From the Paper:

"The history of hospital policy towards family presence has been generally to prevent or to frown upon the presence of family members at critical procedures. However, this view has been reassessed in recent years and there is nowadays a strong trend towards the inclusion of family members in some procedures. Many researchers and nursing professionals see the presence of family members as a positive factor in the healing and health care process. However, there are many other studies which refer to the negative aspects of family presence. These studies point out that the nurse is often placed in a situation, when there is no specified policy, which requires delicate decision making. The nurse may find that he or she has to decide between the desires and demands of family members and medical and ethical requirements."

More papers on Family Presence during Procedures:

• Research Proposal # 62266 : "CPR Procedures and Family Presence"
• Term Paper # 138637 : "Beliefs About Family Presence"
• Analytical Essay # 138879 : "Analysis of the Attitudes toward Family Presence"

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