title: 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.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. cardinale.smith@mssm.edu
authors.forename: Cardinale B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bunch O'Neill
mesh_terms: 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