title: Not-for-resuscitation orders: the medical, legal and ethical rationale behind letting patients die.
abstract: A doctor who is treating a patient in an Australian hospital may make a pre-emptive decision not to attempt to resuscitate that patient in the event of the patient's sudden demise. This decision is commonly referred to as a not-for-resuscitation (NFR) order. This article examines what resuscitation is, and what it means to withhold attempts at resuscitation from a patient. The medical, legal and ethical doctrines relating to death and dying are synthesised into a set of robust guidelines for making NFR decisions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rural Health, University of Melbourne. richardcavell@mail.com
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cavell
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D001926:Brain Death; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D018447:Medical Futility / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016414:Resuscitation Orders / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*