title: Compliance with do-not-resuscitate orders for hospitalized patients transported to radiology departments.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the effectiveness of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders during transport of hospitalized patients away from their rooms.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine compliance with DNR orders in radiology departments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  248 hospital-based radiology departments.
  
  
  METHODS
  248 radiology department representatives.
  
  
  METHODS
  10-item questionnaire examining the response of radiology personnel to patients with DNR orders who experience cardiopulmonary arrest.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Written DNR protocols and structured procedures for communicating DNR status were used by 18.5% (CI, 13.7% to 23.4%) and 18.1% (CI, 13.3% to 23.0%) of departments, respectively. Medical chart review was the only source of information on DNR status for 41.5% (CI, 35.4% to 47.7%) of departments. It was found that 20.2% of respondents (CI, 15.2% to 25.2%) would resuscitate patients with DNR orders and that 38.3% (CI, 32.3% to 44.4%) had resuscitated patients with DNR orders in the past.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most radiology departments do not have formal procedures to prevent patients from undergoing unwanted or inappropriate resuscitative interventions, and DNR orders are frequently overruled.
authors.affiliation: Mercy Health Services Research Group, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona 85001, USA.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Heffner
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barbieri
mesh_terms: D024362:Advance Directive Adherence; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D011872:Radiology Department, Hospital; D016414:Resuscitation Orders; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires