title: Social workers' experiences as the family support person during cardiopulmonary resuscitation attempts.
abstract: During inhospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation attempts, a designated family support person (FSP) may provide guidance and support to family members. Research on nurses and chaplains in this role has been published. Social workers also regularly fulfill this service, however, little is known about how they perceive and enact this role. To explore their experiences, qualitative interviews (n = 10) were conducted with FSP social workers. Critical realist thematic analysis identified five themes: walking in cold, promoting family presence, responding to the whole spectrum of grief, going beyond the family support role, and repercussions of bearing witness. Social workers perform a variety of tasks to promote family presence during resuscitation attempts and provide psychosocial support over the continuum of care. The FSP role impacts social workers emotionally and professionally. Implications for hospital policy, staffing, and clinical practice are discussed.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Social Work , University of Michigan Health System , Ann Arbor , Michigan , USA.
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Firn
authors.affiliation: b Department of Care Management , University of Michigan Health System , Ann Arbor , Michigan , USA.
authors.forename: Keli
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: DeVries
authors.affiliation: b Department of Care Management , University of Michigan Health System , Ann Arbor , Michigan , USA.
authors.forename: Dawnielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Morano
authors.affiliation: a Department of Social Work , University of Michigan Health System , Ann Arbor , Michigan , USA.
authors.forename: Toni
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Spano-English
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D033262:Narration; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support; D012948:Social Work Department, Hospital; D000068217:Social Workers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Family presence resuscitation; family support role; hospital social work; qualitative methods