What the curtains do not shield: A phenomenological exploration of patient-witnessed resuscitation in hospital. Part 1: patients' experiences.
Martina Fiori, Jos M Latour, Ruth Endacott and 2 others
PMID 35150148WHAT IT FOUND
Patients in shared hospital rooms felt exposed behind curtains during another patient's resuscitation.
Many were distressed, yet some felt reassured by staff response. They wanted nurses to explain what happened and offer support without forcing conversation.
Key findings
01Most patients felt bed curtains did not protect them from seeing or hearing a fellow patient's resuscitation.
02After the event, patients felt reassured by the healthcare team's response and professionalism.
03Patients wanted nurses to give information and emotional support, but this support was not delivered consistently.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included a small, voluntary sample from one hospital, so its findings may not apply to other wards or patients. 14 participants came from mixed medical wards, and only two came from a cardio-thoracic ward. Twelve patients declined follow-up, possibly because they did not want to revisit the experience. Only two follow-up interviews were completed, so long-term impact is unclear. Hospital interviews were relatively short, and the sensitive topic plus lack of private rooms may have limited openness. No family members were present during the witnessed resuscitation events, so this does not describe family-witnessed resuscitation.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the suggested dedicated nurse or the suggestion to move patients away as proven to reduce distress. These were patients' ideas, not tested interventions.