Should family members witness cardiopulmonary resuscitation?

CLINICAL QUESTION: What is the effect of family presence during cardiopulmonary resuscitation on family members and the medical team?

ARTICLE CHOSEN: Jabre P, Belpomme V, Azoulay E, et al. Family presence during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. N Engl J Med 2013;368:1008-18.

OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to determine whether systematically offering relatives the option to be present during cardiopulmonary resuscitation increases the proportion of relatives with posttraumatic stress disorder-related symptoms after 90 days. Secondary outcomes included the presence of anxiety and depression symptoms in relatives, the effect of family presence on medical efforts at resuscitation, the well-being of the medical team, and the occurrence of medicolegal claims.