Pediatric Emergency Medicine Reports – April 1, 2014
April 1, 2014
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Family Presence During Pediatric Resuscitations and Invasive Procedures
ACEP, AAP, and several other prominent pediatric and critical care organizations have endorsed the practice of offering parents the choice about being present during invasive procedures and resuscitations. The majority of the literature supports providing the parents the choice to be able to remain with their children during procedures, including resuscitative efforts. There have also been psychological benefits with family members who remained present during resuscitations by lowering their anxiety and depression scores, having fewer disturbing memories, and lowering degrees of intrusive imagery and post-traumatic avoidance behavior.