Family Member Presence for Procedures: The Resident's Perspective

Bradford, Kathleen K.; Kost, Susanne; Selbst, Steven M.; Renwick, Amy E.; Pratt, Amanda

doi:10.1367/A04-024R1.1

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Volume 5, Issue 5 , Pages 294-297, September 2005

Family Member Presence for Procedures: The Resident's Perspective

Kathleen K. Bradford, Dr, MD
- From the University of North Carolina Department of Pediatrics (Dr Bradford), Chapel Hill, NC
- Address correspondence to Kathleen K. Bradford, MD, Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, Bioinformatics Building, CB#7220, Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7220
Susanne Kost, Dr, MD
- From the University of North Carolina Department of Pediatrics (Dr Bradford), Chapel Hill, NC
Steven M. Selbst, Dr, MD
- From the University of North Carolina Department of Pediatrics (Dr Bradford), Chapel Hill, NC
Amy E. Renwick, Dr, MD
- From the University of North Carolina Department of Pediatrics (Dr Bradford), Chapel Hill, NC
Amanda Pratt, Dr, MD
- From the University of North Carolina Department of Pediatrics (Dr Bradford), Chapel Hill, NC

Received 18 February 2004; accepted 7 April 2005.

Objective.—To describe resident acceptance of and comfort with family member presence (FMP) during pediatric invasive procedures and resuscitation in a large, multicenter pediatric residency program. To determine if increased level of training impacts on opinion toward FMP for procedures.

Design and Methods.—Seventy-six residents of postgraduate levels 1–4 were administered a survey about FMP for procedures. The survey consisted of 4 Likert-scale questions and 1 multiple-choice question of resident acceptance of and comfort with FMP during procedures and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Results.—Fifty-three residents (70%) responded. Residents were accepting of FMP during procedures, with a mean score of 3.9/5. However, residents were less accepting of FMP presence during CPR, with a mean score of 2.84/5. There was a trend toward increased comfort and acceptance of FMP with increased level of training; however, this was not statistically significant. In our study, nearly one half of residents (45%) reported that their major reservation toward FMP was that resident anxiety could result in procedure or resuscitation failure.

Conclusion.—The residents in our pediatric training program generally accept FMP for procedures. Residents were less accepting of FMP for CPR than for procedures. Residents most commonly oppose FMP for procedures because they believe this will make them anxious and lead to failure. This information provides insight into the implementation of FMP for procedures in a medical education setting.

KEY WORDS: family member presence , family presence , procedures , resident education