An analysis of dilemmas posed by prehospital DNR orders.
This article briefly recounts the development of the prehospital do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order and indicates certain situations, such as a choking episode or a suicide attempt, in which the presence of a DNR order may provoke a moral dilemma for the emergency medical technician as to whether or not the patient should be treated. An ethical analysis of this question is performed and concludes that resuscitative treatment is ethical and mandatory.
Hall
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D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000628:therapy*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D016414:Resuscitation Orders; D013406:Suicide, Attempted; D016312:Treatment Refusal