Medical Ethics Do Not Resuscitate

Medical Ethics

Do Not Resuscitate Patients

In the situation below, I want to argue that Patients with a 'Do Not Resuscitate' (DNR) Order should NOT be transported to a hospital - especially by an Emergency Department - for medical treatment.

My argument assumes that patients who have signed such an order understand the full meaning of DNR, and have accepted the responsibility this entails. My argument assumes that the medical professionals understand the ramifications of not transporting a patient for treatment, and that the legal aspects of DNR orders have been dealt with by the department's legal representatives. My argument also assumes that the patients are in some kind of medical arrest or emergency, or have suffered a catastrophic type of illness, such as heart attack or stroke. In addition, my argument assumes that family members of patients with DNR orders understand their loved one's desires, and will comply with their wishes.

Ethical and medical facts are key to this situation. The patient must have a current and verifiable DNR order. The patient must be notified of the decision not to transport. The patient has the right to change the DNR, or to nullify it. The patient's family cannot become involved in the transport. The emergency department staff must be prepared to make quick decisions. The emergency department staff must be prepared to analyze the patient's condition and make a binding decision about it. If a patient has a DNR, the age of the patient must be analyzed and taken into account in the decision. It depends on what the patient is suffering from whether they should be transported or not. Emergency department personnel must be prepared to play "God" in these instances. The DNR does not necessarily remove all fault from the emergency department. The patient must be suffering a life-threatening illness or condition for emergency room department staff to consider the DNR.

Ethically, this is certainly a touchy and difficult situation. However, the wants and needs of the patient must be fully considered, and a patient with a DNR order clearly does not want to go on living if their quality of life is challenged or reduced. The DNR order does not stand in other situations, such as non-life threatening accidents, etc. (such as a broken leg. The patient would be transported in this situation). There are many ethical decisions that will have to made by the emergency department in these situations, and they will literally have to play "God" in some decisions, which may be ethically and morally difficult for some personnel. Some people believe that DNR orders are not legal or moral, and the staff has no authority to act on them. However, the patient's wishes are at the heart of this ethical dilemma, and they should always be discussed and adhered to. It is the patient's life, after all, and not the medical department's life that is on the line. A DNR order is a highly person decision, and no person creates one of these orders lightly. They must understand the ramifications of the order, and they must understand that there may be times when the order precludes medical treatment.