Family presence during emergency situations: the opinion of nurses in the adult emergency department

Background: Family presence in the emergency department is a reality. However, in some situations, namely emergency situations, family presence is a controversial issue for nurses. Objectives: To identify nurses’ opinions about family presence in emergency situations in adult emergency departments. Methodology: A descriptive exploratory study was conducted using a questionnaire in a convenience sample. The sample consisted of 233 nurses from four multipurpose emergency departments in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region. Results: Most nurses in the study do not agree with family presence in emergency settings. Some of the identified advantages included the provision of clinical information to the team and patient support, whereas the disadvantages related to family anxiety and increased stress for professionals. Conclusion: Nurses have an unfavorable opinion about family presence in emergency situations. It would be important to reflect on the clinical practices in the resuscitation room so that the F for family can be included after the ABCDE approach to emergency care delivery.