Attitudes and Barriers of Emergency Nurses and Physicians Toward Family Presence During Resuscitation in Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

Implementing family presence during resuscitation poses many challenges in developing countries, especially in developing countries like Iran, where cultural and contextual factors play significant roles. This study examined the attitudes and barriers of Muslim emergency nurses and physicians toward family presence during resuscitation in Iran. A cross-sectional study included 300 physicians and 500 nurses. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytic statistics. The overall score of physicians’ attitudes toward family presence during resuscitation was higher than nurses’ (P = .001). Female nurses had a higher attitude score than male nurses (P = .001). Other demographic variables were not significant with nurses’ attitudes toward family presence during resuscitation. The most significant barriers to family presence during resuscitation included increased stress on staff and unwanted events during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The attitude of Iranian physicians and nurses toward family presence during resuscitation is becoming more positive, with more than half of them agreeing with both the concept and the practice. The findings suggest that hospitals should develop and adopt policies to ensure consistent performance when implementing family presence during resuscitation and that the procedure is safe and effective.