Quick Read: Should Family Members Watch As Their Dying Loved Ones Get CPR?
Family members who were allowed to watch emergency health workers try but fail to resuscitate a loved one appeared to cope better in the months after the death. A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine today found those family members had fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression months later. The results of the French study also showed that the presence of family members did not interfere with the care.
On “Grey’s Anatomy,” doctors steer family members out of the hospital room when they call a code blue and start performing CPR on a patient because it’s just too upsetting to watch. But in real life, doctors should be inviting family members to observe their attempts at cardiopulmonary resuscitation, researchers say.
Read more at: www.latimes.com
About the author
Rachel Dornhelm got her start in radio at WHYY. After anthropology graduate school, Rachel lived in Uzbekistan working with youth near the drying Aral Sea. Rachel returned to radio full-time in 2001. Her work has appeared on WNYC, WBUR, Marketplace, NPR news magazines and KQED. View all posts by Rachel Dornhelm →
