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'Do not attempt resuscitation' and 'cardiopulmonary resuscitation' in an inpatient setting : factors influencing physicians' decisions in Switzerland

Becerra, Maria and Hurst, Samia A. and Junod Perron, Noelle and Cochet, Stéphane and Elger, Bernice S.. (2011) 'Do not attempt resuscitation' and 'cardiopulmonary resuscitation' in an inpatient setting : factors influencing physicians' decisions in Switzerland. Gerontology, 57 (5). pp. 414-421.

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Official URL: http://edoc.unibas.ch/dok/A6001816

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Abstract

To determine the prevalence of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and do-not-attempt-resuscitation (DNAR) orders, to define factors associated with CPR/DNAR orders and to explore how physicians make and document these decisions. We prospectively reviewed CPR/DNAR forms of 1,446 patients admitted to the General Internal Medicine Department of the Geneva University Hospitals, a tertiary-care teaching hospital in Switzerland. We additionally administered a face-to-face survey to residents in charge of 206 patients including DNAR and CPR orders, with or without patient inclusion.; 21.2% of the patients had a DNAR order, 61.7% a CPR order and 17.1% had neither. The two main factors associated with DNAR orders were a worse prognosis and/or a worse quality of life. Others factors were an older age, cancer and psychiatric diagnoses, and the absence of decision-making capacity. Residents gave four major justifications for DNAR orders: important comorbid conditions (34%), the patients' or their family's resuscitation preferences (18%), the patients' age (14.2%), and the absence of decision-making capacity (8%). Residents who wrote DNAR orders were more experienced. In many of the DNAR or CPR forms (19.8 and 16%, respectively), the order was written using a variety of formulations. For 24% of the residents, the distinction between the resuscitation order and the care objective was not clear. 38% of the residents found the resuscitation form useful.; Patients' prognosis and quality of life were the two main independent factors associated with CPR/DNAR orders. However, in the majority of cases, residents evaluated prognosis only intuitively, and quality of life without involving the patients. The distinction between CPR/DNAR orders and the care objectives was not always clear. Specific training regarding CPR/DNAR orders is necessary to improve the CPR/DNAR decision process used by physicians.
Faculties and Departments:08 Cross-disciplinary Subjects > Ethik > Institut für Bio- und Medizinethik > Bio- und Medizinethik (Elger)
03 Faculty of Medicine > Departement Public Health > Ethik in der Medizin > Bio- und Medizinethik (Elger)
UniBasel Contributors:Elger, Bernice Simone
Item Type:Article, refereed
Article Subtype:Research Article
Publisher:Karger Publishers
ISSN:0304-324X
e-ISSN:1423-0003
Note:Publication type according to Uni Basel Research Database: Journal article
Language:English
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Last Modified:24 Oct 2017 10:12
Deposited On:08 Nov 2012 16:14

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