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. © Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians.