Cardiac arrest is often a sudden and traumatic event. Family-witnessed resuscitation was first recommended by the American Heart Association over two decades ago. Since then several global professional bodies have identified a range of potential benefits for relatives; however, it remains contentious. For nurses working in emergency departments (EDs) in low-income countries, the evidence for, and experience of, family-witnessed resuscitation is limited. This article critically appraises the literature relating to the perceptions of medical professionals and critically ill patients and their families about communication, family presence and their involvement during resuscitation in the ED. Three themes relating to family-witnessed resuscitation in the ED were identified by a focused literature search. These were: leadership and communication, limitation of policies and guidelines and relatives' views. The recommendations from this review will be used to develop emergency and trauma nursing practice guidelines in Zambia, a low-income country in sub-Saharan Africa.
Keywords: Critical care nursing; Emergency department; Family-witnessed resuscitation; Resuscitation.