'Do Not Resuscitate' Orders

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Abstract
A RECENT issue ofThe Journalcontains the encouraging results of Youngner et al,1who found a willingness among physicians in a large university hospital to write a "do not resuscitate" (DNR) order for patients then residing in the medical intensive care unit. The authors found that 14% of the patients, otherwise requiring the more concentrated nursing attention of an intensive care unit, had received a DNR order. While it was reassuring that patients were given the level of care dictated by their medical condition despite their DNR status, the authors did raise the issue of overtreatment and proper allocation of limited medical resources. In an accompanying editorial, Veatch2both praised the Youngner et al study and also raised important ethical concerns over how the decision to write a DNR order was reached. The amount of actual participation by the patient in the decision not to undergo resuscitation

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