Aim To identify the views and experiences of emergency nurses and doctors of the presence of family members during invasive procedures and resuscitation events.

Methods 84 staff members from three emergency departments in one UK trust responded to a paper-based 22-item questionnaire developed by the authors.

Findings Staff expressed positive views about family presence during such traumatic events, but also expressed non-evidenced concerns about negative aspects of family presence.

Conclusion Future research should focus on exploring the views of patients and their families in culturally diverse societies or across culturally different countries. Such data could underpin culturally sensitive policies to guide the practice of family presence and identify the education required to support successful development of such policies. Using simulation-based learning methodology integrated with existing advanced life-support/advanced trauma life-support training could support successful implementation of family presence policies.