Do not resuscitate does not mean do not treat: how palliative care and other modalities can help facilitate communication about goals of care in advanced illness.
A do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order is commonly used for hospitalized patients with advanced illness. It reflects only the desires of a patient once he or she suffers a full cardiopulmonary arrest. It does not reflect preferences about other forms of life-sustaining treatments. This article reviews the definition of a DNR order, describes the evidence suggesting that physicians use a DNR order in making determinations about other life-sustaining treatments, and will provide tools such as the use of palliative care consultations and combined directives in discussing overall goals of care.
Smith
Cardinale B
CB
Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. cardinale.smith@mssm.edu
Bunch O'Neill
Lynn
L
D000368:Aged; D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011788:Quality of Life; D016414:Resuscitation Orders