The experiences of parents witnessing their child's resuscitation in hospital

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this literature review is to explore parents' experiences of witnessing their child being resuscitated in hospital settings. Methods: An integrative literature review using the databases CINAHL, PubMed and PsycInfo to retrieve articles published between 2011 and 2021 on parent-witnessed resuscitation. Results: This review found strong evidence of the benefit of parents being present during their child's resuscitation, with three common themes emerging: need to be present, communication and seeing to believe. Parents and the healthcare team benefit from being present, and parents feel they have more positive experiences when they are allowed to choose their level of presence. Conclusion: The benefits of parental witnessed resuscitation are shown throughout the review, however, this may not always be adopted in practice. Hospital policies or resuscitation training do not cover parent-witnessed resuscitation, therefore implementation of mandatory hospital policy regarding this issue should be introduced to practice to create continuity of high-quality care.